Cloudier Sky
by MidnightEmber
Summary: Lily had many secrets when she was alive. Now Harry must figure them out while dealing with the blame of Sirius death and the threat of the truly evil.Creature!Harry. Slash-LV/HP
1. Chapter 1

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**~ Cloudier** **Sky ~**

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**Summary:** Lily had many secrets when she was alive. Now Harry must figure them out while dealing with the blame of Sirius death and the threat of the truly evil.

**Warning:** This story contains Creature!Harry, Slash, Weasley bashing (Good!Fred&George), Dumbledore bashing, pretty much Order bashing actually.

**Pairings:** Voldemort (Tom Riddle)/Harry, Severus/Lily, Lucius/Narcissa,

**Disclaimer:** Does Voldemort survive the Final Battle? No? Then I do not own Harry Potter.

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**- Chapter One -**

During the past few weeks of his glorious summer holiday Harry through his depression had begun to notice many odd things that appeared to be happening around Privet Drive. At first they had been small and just appeared out of place in the "normal" home of Vernon and Petunia Dursley. Stuff like pictures warping which could be explained from anything like heat to misplaced items none of which actually belonged to Harry himself they were all of the Dursley belongings. However they weren't important or big items so it went overlooked thankfully.

When Harry took his first walk outside for the summer he noticed more and more weird phenomena. It was highly irregular for muggles but for Harry he just took it all in stride. None of it really bothered him after all it wasn't Voldemort's doing so why should he care especially when . . . we'll he wouldn't think about that at the moment or in the near future. The emotional scars were all too fresh for him.

The first thing he noticed was that everyone in the neighbourhood left him alone.

Not that he wasn't grateful for the small reprieve it was just different and brought on more feelings that he didn't really want to think about at the moment such as seclusion and loneliness. The people that usually wondered the streets during the day were fearful of him for some reason. Even the children who normally couldn't care if he was around gave him a wide birth. It was definitely odd and gave him yet another reason for his relatives to call him a freak.

Normally he would have blamed his family for this turn of events however they had asked him why the neighbours wouldn't even listened to anything spoken about him (they loved to gossip about his criminal ways). Harry had confessed that he thought it was their doing since he really didn't care they weren't talking. Neither his relatives nor he had any idea what had struck such fear into the hearts of their neighbours but knew that it was the Order's doing since neither Voldemort or the Death Eaters hadn't come anywhere near the house.

When he had decided to relax in a tree that was sturdy enough for him to climb he'd heard some of the neighbours talk about him. They had spoken of a few order members who had arrived a day before he returned home from Hogwarts warning them that he had killed someone close to them and they could be in danger if they angered him. So like good citizens they listened to the random people who they barely even knew and left Harry, who they had known for years, alone.

Harry was disgusted at this blatant disregard for his emotional welfare.

How was he supposed to heal when no one believed that he was innocent or that he was normal? Wasn't it bad enough that his own relatives couldn't care any less about him? They had to try and isolate him as much as possible. It was ridiculous and only made Harry's depression deepen further than when he had watched Sirius . . . no was wasn't supposed to think on that.

The second noticeable strange occurrence was his "family". They had been keeping their distance as well and not for the same reasons.

The Order had informed them that Sirius had died in the last few weeks of school and it had been a heavy loss for him. Normally this would have brought forth some sort of rant about how useless and freaky he was. Fortunately for him they remembered what occurred the last time someone had bad mouthed a member of his family. Aunt Marge had ended up like a balloon after he had raged at them. They weren't about to make that same mistake again. Add that to the firm talking to that the Order members had given them they weren't about to invoke their wrath. It gave him a small reprieve at least.

The third were his actual friends. Even though Dumbledore hadn't forbidden contact this summer they still weren't sending any letters. He'd figured out why when Fred and George (the only ones he could currently rely on) sent him a letter about their shop opening. It had definitely been an eye opener. He glanced over to the desk where it still remained open even though he didn't need the letter since he remembered every single word.

_--_

_Dear Harry,_

_We know that your summers with your relatives aren't as cracked up as they ought to be so we thought that we should give our investor a chance to know what we are doing with his money and hopefully spending it to his requirements or well just tell him what we shall be giving his enemies when you finally return to our world._

_This summer we bought a shop on Diagon Alley where we shall set up the main Weasley Wizarding Wheezes branch. It is the best location for it since many kids shall be buying their school supplies later in the following months. When you get the chance come and see it! Everything for you, our beloved investor, is free since you gave us the initial loan. No one else knows that it was you who aided us and it shall remain that way until we see fit to say otherwise. They don't need to know how we managed to accomplish this especially with what we've been hearing lately. We want you to remain as happy as possible so we are willing to keep quiet about it for your safety and happiness._

_So you shall be our silent partner whom we shall reveal when the time is right and we have everything set up properly. Can you imagine everyone's face when they find out? Best prank ever! It also allows you to have everything we create before they even hit the shelves!_

_There are also the other things we should mention with the Order. (We overheard everything and thought that before someone censored a letter we would write you the truth like Dumbledore.)_

_Firstly the house which belonged to Snuffles is now officially yours. For the Order to continue using the house they have to ask you for permission however they aren't going to as they didn't want to "interrupt your only time to relax and forget about the dreadful ordeal he has lived through these past months" at least according to Dumbledore. For the same reason he also won't send anyone to pick you up until your birthday (hopefully) so you're stuck in the hell hole until someone deems it necessary to remember you again._

_The house belongs to you but they continue to use it. We suggest that if you get tired of putting up with the lot of them banish them from the house. It's yours and you should be able to relax. Don't worry though. When you do that the Fidelius Charm that surrounds the property will revert to you since Dumbledore would have also been banished meaning you will become the secret keeper and only you will be allowed to enter the house. Everyone who knew the location will forget it so there isn't any worry about that either and only you will be able to tell anyone where the house is._

_Since the house belongs to you, you are also entitled to the money in the Black vaults which so far no one has been able to enter. Hopefully you shall be able to enter it as not even Narcissa Malfoy can enter the vault and she is of the blood. Considering the Potter and Black vaults are now yours that makes you pretty rich. If you get the chance I'd write a will or something so that the money doesn't get given to the Ministry if you die. (Not that we think you will but a precaution is always great and then you won't have people fighting over who gets what or worry about the wrong people claiming the money!)_

_Then there is Mum. She has order all of her children (including us) to stay as far away from you as possible since you are a danger. That also included sending you mail for some reason. We snorted and left. There is no way that we would turn our back on you! What fool would listen to her with the reason that you were dangerous? Yeah she told them you were dangerous and she didn't want anyone near you. That was also the only reason she gave and it appeared enough for them, the backstabbing traitors._

_We believe that Dumbledore may have told her to do this though there is a fat chance we will listen to the headmaster._

_For some reason that doesn't mean the adults are going to stay away from you so Mum and Dad can pester you all they want. We don't understand their logic at all, do you? All the adults want to "help" you for some reason. They believe that you will bounce back after Siri's death and not react to anything. We both know that you took his death hard and are probably still blaming yourself. We're going to say this once so listen or well read well!!_

_IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!_

_Get it? Got it? Good! Sirius chose to go to you and help you when you were in trouble just like the other adults did. It was his choice and he wouldn't have had it any other way. We'll be here to talk if you want us! You can't bottle up the emotions it's not healthy._

_Unfortunately we can't say the same for Ron, Hermione and Ginny who listened to mum's every word. Now they continuously say that they could have died etcetera in the D.O.M. and keep whinging about their nonexistent injuries since it took two weeks for them to heal properly. It was ridiculous. Even though all the kids agree with them they are already tired of listening to them complain._

_The only problem is that even Bill and Charlie are agreeing with mum for some reason. They barely even know you and they are already labelling you as a danger. The only Weasley we don't know about is Percy and he supposedly still hates everything to do with you though we don't have any information to back that gossip with._

_We're sorry that you had to hear all of this from us but it's better to get it all out rather than hear from an unsavoury source. Come and see us at Diagon Alley if you want to talk more. We'll be here for you!_

_Pranking your ex-friends,_

_Gred and Forge_

_P.S. The gifts are an early birthday present since we know for a fact that Dumbledore is blocking all of your mail on your birthday we shall warn the others that believe in you so you should get your presents early or later than normal! Enjoy the day as much as possible._

_--_

That letter had hurt but it was still good to know that someone cared for him ever if they were busy with their new shop. The odd thing was that it hardly mentioned anything about Lupin or the other Order members. He wondered whether or not that Lupin blamed him for Sirius' death. He hoped not since he was the last connection he had to the Marauders excluding Wormtail. For some reason though he knew he was wrong and Lupin actually did blame him probably more so than he did. It was a depressing thought.

The news of Ron and Hermione abandoning him due to something they willingly got into was ridiculous. He decided that he would ignore them completely. If they wanted to act all superior and blame him for everything they could go right ahead. He had no use for them then. Their friendship was obviously faked and he didn't desire fake friends. Harry no longer cared if they tried to make up for this. He was beyond putting up with their attitudes and knew that they would merely come crawling back when they realized they were in the wrong yet again. This time he wouldn't welcome them back at all.

The presents from the twins brightened his day immensely. Not only had they sent him numerous pranks and jokes from Weasley Wizarding Wheezes but they had also included a notebook that insulted anyone who didn't say the correct password before opening it. His password was in parseltongue so that way only Voldemort could open it which would be unlikely as he'd never get his hands on it.

Harry had to admit that the mix of Riddle's diary and the Marauder's Map was ingenuous and he absolutely loved it. It insulted anyone who didn't speak the password before opening it. The book came in a set which allowed the other person to write on a page that disappeared and reappeared in the other book. Harry guessed that it was meant to be an intimate or a secret page and he was glad he had discovered it before giving it away to someone else. He was going to give it to someone who he knew wouldn't turn their back on him.

The notebook also had endless pages meant for writing down notes for spell creations, pranks or just ideas. The note the twins had included stated that they were only giving the notebooks to certain people and he was the first and only person so far to own one. Both twins owned one each and that was as far as they were going at the moment. It was the highlight of his holidays so far and he was ecstatic.

Surprisingly he also received a present from Luna before his birthday. He had been cautious opening the gift to begin with as he wasn't sure what Luna had sent him since the gift was wrapped up with green and silver paper. If that hadn't screamed dark he didn't know what did especially since it was Slytherin green and silver though he really shouldn't give in to prejudice over something as silly as house colours. Upon opening the gift he realized he had been correct.

Inside the box was a Fennec Fox. (Harry had to look that up first. Luna really had an eye for the unusual.) He had a long snout, thin body and long tail like a normal fox but his ears were almost like that of a rabbits. It was definitely one of the more exotic pets you could own like that had stopped him before. Hedwig had given the fox a glance before deciding that it wasn't a threat and returning to sleep. That was enough to assume that it wouldn't attempt to kill him in the middle of the night. Hedwig was always concerned about his welfare.

The Fennec Fox which he'd named Nye after his golden fur coat was now sitting around his shoulders as he thought through everything that had happened to him this summer. It had been weird and depressing so far and it only appeared to get worse as the days continued into weeks.

One of the most important changes, or so it seemed to him, was the weather. It was summer so most people assumed that the sun would bear down upon them and everyone would spend the days indoors or resting beneath shady trees. People would go to the beach and enjoy the sun while soaking up the sun's rays or they would go to the local pool to cool down whilst in the suffering heat. This summer was different.

This summer it was raining, constantly and if that didn't scream magic then Harry didn't know what did anymore. The rain seemed to never end much to his confusion. Sure it was nice to know that his mood was being reflected by the weather but he knew that not even a wizard could do what he was currently doing without some sort of illegal ritual. No wizard was idiotic enough to mess with the weather where a muggle could be watching.

But so far no one had commented on it as if it appeared to be normal for that time of year. This was what worried him the most.

No muggles commented on the strange weather that was so unlike their normal year as if they were almost in a trance. It appeared to be the same with the wizards though. They didn't believe it was odd either. So with that Harry came to the conclusion that no one honestly cared what happened to him as long as he was prepared to save them all against Voldemort later in the year. Yippee.

Honestly if he knew how he would consider throwing himself at Voldemort's mercy and hoping that he would see reason that he wasn't spoilt and was indeed under the control of the ever benevolent Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Either that or hope for a speedy death. Harry didn't really care both options freed him from Dumbledore's neglect. However he knew that with each plan to escape there was no hope so he just remained at his window wishing for something to change.

With that Harry James Potter of number four Privet Drive, Surrey continued to watch the rain pour down on the dreary summer day.

* * *

For some days now Harry had spent them in his room not caring about what was occurring around him. Nye continued to remain as close to him as possible while Hedwig slept on her perch the weather not allowing her to fly. Of course the weather continued to be as miserable as he felt. It rained constantly now not allowing any sunlight to enter. At least at the beginning of summer it had only rained occasionally, remaining only cloudy with partial sunlight. Now that was all it ever did. Not that Harry was complaining he felt right at him.

The rain calmed him to some level. Whilst he didn't feel the urge to stampede the headmaster office or Order headquarters he didn't feel bright and joyful either. All that was left was misery and he was agreeable with that. It meant that the Dursley's would leave him alone for a lot longer before they began to assign him chores if they ever did. They were still not paying him any attention at all. Not that he could really blame them who would want to spend time with a lonely freak like him?

His friends certainly didn't. They were probably happily saying how dangerous he was and how it was certain that if they spent more time around them they would be served with Sirius' fate as well. It made him fell enormously bitter that they could even begin to think that way with everything they had willingly been through. They hadn't agreed with that thought after their first year what would change now?

His teachers didn't care about him. They didn't even know what he did during the holidays let alone whether or not he was happy spending the time with his beloved relatives. What they didn't know couldn't hurt them but it sure as hell could hurt him still.

Remus . . . Harry had no idea what to think of Remus. He prayed to whatever god or goddess was out there listening that his father's friend and his mentor on some level would still believe in him, would still want to sit and talk like they had done when Sirius was alive. Deep down Harry knew that Remus wouldn't ever look at him again and after everything he had been through with Sirius Harry couldn't believe that he was acting like this. But he couldn't complain he blamed himself as well.

All of this left him with a terribly miserable mood and further spurred the weather into acting out.

After a few weeks, his Aunt had begun acting strange casting Harry knowing looks as the weather forecaster predicted that the rain was here to stay even if they couldn't truly predict where it had originated from it was natural surprisingly. Well that was when Harry had finally decided that locking himself up in his room wasn't doing anything but make him increasingly hungry and without Mrs Weasley's usually cooking he had nothing to eat. He could only live off of the snacks he had brought off the food trolley on the Hogwarts Express for so long. Eventually his stomach began to complain about food.

It was one morning while he was doing the only chore he had, the dishes, he finally decided to ask the question that had been niggling in the back of his head.

"Is there something you wanted to say Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked when they were alone.

Dudley had decided to go terrorize people at the cinema where it was dry instead of being stuck at home during this weather. Vernon still had work since it wasn't a weekend and had left earlier that very morning to get there by avoiding the traffic. There was no way that he would speak to her like that otherwise. He wouldn't risk the glares or hits that his uncle would give him he didn't have the strength to recover from something like that at the moment with his measly diet.

"It's . . . well . . ."

Harry paused he had never seen his Aunt this flustered before. Normally she would snap at him for asking such a question and tell him to get back to work but this time she was actually going to answer him.

"During your mother's sixth year at Hog - at that school strange things began to occur around the house much like what is happening now. The weather would be forever changing and small items began to disappear around the house. Eventually it ceased but it took her quite a bit of research before that happened and everyone we knew in the neighbourhood began to see that the weather was particularly odd. It worried out parents but Lily never spoke of it. When it calmed down the subject was never brought up again until now."

"All of her research was kept in a journal that she handed to me along with a box of her other belongings telling me to give them to you if this ever occurred. She documented everything she could about whatever was changing in her. Numerous other things went in the box as well such as your birth certificate and other things we would need if you ever came to be in our care."

Harry made a face at that. Why would his mother give him to Petunia if they didn't really get along? As if hearing his question his Aunt answered.

"Don't look at me like that! Of course your mother wouldn't willingly hand you over to us if she had a choice. I know that they left a will stating that Sirius Black as your guardian should they were . . . pass on. I also know that if he was unfit that there were several others you could be placed with. I believe there is a copy of it in the box I shall retrieve for you. No it was that Dumblydore that did it. He left you here knowing that I would never care for you like my own son I doubt he knew exactly how you would be treated but it is all the same. He left you on the doorstep late at night with nothing but a letter explaining what happened to my sister, as if that was polite." Petunia scoffed angrily.

Harry could understand the anger that his Aunt felt for he was feeling the same. How could Dumbledore ignore his parents' last wishes knowing that he wouldn't be raised by loving caring relatives? Know he wanted more than anything to be able to see who could have filed for his custody.

"Anyway that should help you until those people come and collect you again just don't let anyone else know. Not even your closest friends. For Lily knew that she couldn't trust anyone not even her own family with this secret of hers. There were only a few people she trusted with this secret. One of them was your father and your godfather, then there was that horrid boy we use to live with – don't ask me about him I won't say anything – other than that she didn't speak of it to anyone. I trust you to do the same!"

Without another word Petunia swept out of the room as fast as her feet could carry her. Harry knew that she was going to retrieve the box from where ever she had kept it. He was actually surprised that his Aunt had kept anything that had belonged to his mother at all with the way she continuously ranted about her. However with the way she was acting he would guess that she hadn't really hated her sister but magic itself as it did take her sister away from her both emotionally and physically. He couldn't really begrudge her for that.

In no time at all she returned with an ordinary looking box. Harry wasn't sure how that was supposed to keep all of their secrets safe but he trusted his mother none the less. She would never lead him astray unlike his friends. His mother had cared about him more than anything else in the entire world.

"I'm hoping that this can help you with your own questions and eventually solve this weather problem so that we can have at least one day of sunlight this summer. Now take it out of the room before Dudley or Vernon return."

Harry didn't have any answers at his Aunt's strange behaviour. In fact it was a miracle that she was talking to him at all but he wasn't about to ruin this one chance to finally learn something about his mother and possible his father as well. So with a nod of thanks he picked the box up and returned to his room for another day of solitude with Nye and Hedwig.

Not even bothering with caution, Harry opened the plain box only to reveal a small chest inside of it. He could sense that it had numerous charms placed around it but that didn't bother him at all. This chest was his and he knew that his mother would never create something that could potentially harm him. Carefully taking the chest out of the box he allowed it to drop onto his bed. Nye had jumped onto the box and begun to tear it apart like a chew toy not that it bothered him it was just a disposable box after all to disguise the chest.

The chest was surprisingly green and silver and had nothing Gryffindor about it. Harry was learning very quickly to expect the unexpected when his parents were concerned. No one had told him that his mother had liked those particular colours? Perhaps they meant something to her personally? Oh well he would figure that out later right now he had more pressing issues to deal with like opening the silly thing.

How was he supposed to unlock the box without a key?

At sixteen he could hardly do magic out of school and his mother had known that beforehand obviously. It wasn't like the laws had changed at all since she had been alive. So how did he open it? Aunt Petunia would have given him anything else to do with the chest but there was only the chest. Nothing else was given to him. That could mean that he already had the object that unlocked the box but he didn't really own anything that had belonged to them anyway. However the box was meant specifically for him and him alone. Well if the object was an actual key then he only had one and that was his gold Gringotts key.

Shrugging Harry guessed that it couldn't hurt to give it a try even though the key was actually gold and had nothing to do with the chest but it would be an excellent way to hide both the secrets in the chest and the key itself. Riffling through his trunk he located his key and proceeded to unlock the chest. With a small click the chest opened.

Harry blinked he hadn't expected that to actually work but whatever he was glad that it had. Nye was now interested in whatever was inside the chest and was pawing innocently at it while flattening his ears in annoyance when he couldn't open it. Hedwig also seemed curious as she had woken up and was completely alert. Or it could have just been her way of keeping her charge safe, Harry wasn't sure.

With a deep breath Harry opened the lid and looked inside. The first thing he spotted was the journal that Aunt Petunia had mentioned. The journal was a simple forest green with a lily on the cover and obviously belonged to his mother. A note fell out of the journal and he guessed that he had to read it before the journal itself otherwise it would have remained in the book until he discovered it.

_--_

_My dearest Harry,_

_There are many things in which I would like to convey through this letter and yet we both know that words would be meaningless without the physical attachments behind them like the numerous hugs and love that I would have showered you with if I were still alive. Those however have little meaning now. I hope dearly that you weren't left with my sister as our will dictates (a copy is also present here) if however by some mistake you were do not begrudge her as she has had a hard life and isn't very accepting of the things that have happened in her life. It doesn't mean you must be nice to her but do not live your life hating her for it._

_Now on to the contents of this chest, in this chest I have left numerous items that should help you if you come in to your inheritance a year early as I did._

_Firstly before you do anything else I want you to read my journal. It contains all of my thoughts and feelings during the time that I changed and everything I researched. I know it won't be the same as my actually teaching you these but it will help and should keep Petunia off your back. The weather changing was one thing that she despised as she lived the summer months._

_The pensive I'm hoping you know how to use. It contains memories of James and I. The point of this was to give you memories of us that likely no one else has. They contain private moments between us (nothing intimate I can assure you), jokes and pranks played by the Marauders and most importantly our time spent with you however long that was. It updated every month with one that was joined to it. So I could place memories in it and they would be copied into the one before you. Share the memories if you so desire._

_There are also numerous photos I have of those that loved me and were part of my family. Petunia wouldn't ever let you have any photos that she had collected. She keeps them all locked up so that only she may view them it's probably where she is also keeping the chest for you._

_Along with that are the documents I had created at your birth such as your birth certificate and applications for your godparents. Trust me when I say you have some of the most caring godparents around though they are a little over the top at times. A copy of the will is also amongst these. If you are desperate to get away from my sister then hand a copy of the will to the Ministry more importantly Amelia Bones. She may not be the correct department but she is neutral in the war and will do everything in her power to aid you._

_I have also included a few of your toys when you were a new born. Amongst them are the stuffed animals that are copies of the Marauders animagus forms. All of them are included. Plus there is a blanket that I knitted whilst you were younger. They all have preserving charms on them so you don't need to worry about them falling apart at the smallest touch._

_That is all I have to give you my son. I am sorry that I have not been there for you but we can't change that now can we. Live your life the way you want to and not how others dictate. I only desire your happiness my child._

_No matter what you do I shall always be proud of you._

_Lily Evans Potter_

_--_

Harry sighed, he wanted to cry. He really did. But he had dried up all his tears for Sirius. He was still depressed though and this just seemed to make it worse as the steady rain began to bucket down instead. Making a decision he picked up the journal forgoing looking at the other items in the chest. They were sentimental pieces that he wanted to look at another time. Right now he needed to learn control of whatever was causing the odd weather.

With this in mind Harry sat back for a long read.

* * *

**Nye- Truly golden (Welsh)**

**So this chapter is like a prologue/teaser for the story. I'm also going to be adding the same for my other stories Eternal Darkness and Saint or Sinner. Depending on the reviews I get for them will choose the order I update them in and how quickly. Inheritance and Better in the Dark are going to be my main focus though. **

**~MidnightEmber**


	2. Chapter 2

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**Cloudier** **Sky**

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**Warning:** This story contains Creature!Harry, Slash, Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing.

**Pairings:** Voldemort (Tom Riddle)/Harry, Severus/Lily, Lucius/Narcissa

**Disclaimer:** Does Voldemort survive the Final Battle? No? Then I do not own Harry Potter.

Dedicated to Aelirenn my first reviewer of the story!

* * *

**~ Chapter Two ~**

Making a decision he picked up the journal foregoing looking at the other items in the chest. They were sentimental pieces that he wanted to look at another time. Right now he needed to learn control of whatever was causing the odd weather.

With this in mind Harry sat back for a long read.

* * *

Lately I have noticed many odd things that have occurred around our neighbourhood. It is odd even for me a muggleborn who attends a magic school in Scotland and that was hard to believe when I turned eleven believe me. The weather of late has been acting out recently. It changes so suddenly it leaves me wonder whether this has anything to do with the Dark Lord or not. I have no idea as I only have the Daily Prophet to go on but I highly doubt that this would be it. Why would the Dark Lord target me specifically after all? I'm a nobody to him just another "mudblood to exterminate".

That leaves me with the conclusion that I'm somehow causing this uncontrollable weather. I don't know how it's even possible. I'm positive that only a magical creature could cause something of this magnitude however since I'm a muggleborn that should be impossible.

With that in mind I went to ask my parents whether I was biologically their daughter. They looked at each other and told me no, I wasn't biologically their daughter but they loved me all the same. It turns out mum couldn't have children so she decided to adopt Petunia and then when she wanted another child she adopted me both from different orphanages. It makes me wonder who my real parents are since more than likely I inherited whatever magical genes I now possess from them.

My parents being muggles can't help me with this so I have to wait either until I go to Diagon Alley for research or until I return to Hogwarts for my sixth year. It was weird since no one had brought that up before (we look so much like our parents which was probably why they chose us in the first place) and now my sister and I are only just finding out. It kind of tore us up a little especially since we aren't eleven anymore like other children when they discover their parentage.

Petunia doesn't like to show it but she's worried about me. I'm glad that she doesn't hold a grudge anymore about my magic. I missed having an older sister who looked after me when I was little. She was kind and caring but doesn't show that anymore. It all happened with the first meeting with Severus when I flew off the swing. He called me a witch and I was captivated by that thought alone. Ever since then she hasn't really liked to be near me. Tuney is still there for me but it's strained now. I hope one day she'll come back and be the big sister that I need.

Sometimes I have to wish that this never came between us.

~Lily Evans

-~*~-

Last week I went to Diagon Alley to collect my school supplies for the upcoming year. Tuney as always decided to remain at home since she doesn't want to be near magic though she accepts me. It saddens me that I can't share this side of me with her but I respect her wishes even if I don't understand them.

We didn't spend a long time there as I couldn't stand to be caught unawares with this sudden ability I have managed to attract. It would have been terrible if I had.

In Flourish and Blotts I picked up books on anything I could that might explain this weird weather. I picked up numerous books on hexes and curses even a few of the darker books that were still surprisingly legal. Just before I headed towards the counter I was drawn to the section on magical creatures. There was a book and it appeared to be calling me. In the world of magic I was still uneasy about this feeling however if it was linked towards this ability I have then I was going to buy it on impulse and see where it got me! I mean it couldn't hurt right?

The book itself was entitled 'Nymphs and their Elements'. I was in sixth year and yet I hadn't heard anything about Nymphs before. Sure I've heard of Werewolves, Veela, Vampire, Dragons, Thestrals and other beings like that but we'd never crossed the Nymphs before. Mind you the lack of good Defence teachers was probably one of the main reasons for this.

On a hunch I bought the book but have yet to even pick it up. I know it has all the answers yet I'm afraid of what it may bring to my life. I know from this moment on everything in my life is about to change whether I want it to or not.

~Lily Evans

-~*~-

The other day I received a note from Alice(1). She told me that she went to Gringotts to claim her inheritance. After a few letters she explained to me that pureblood families often claimed their inheritance a year before their majority at age seventeen to get use to everything they would be doing once they reach adulthood. It gives them a year to practice their positions in the Ministry and their seat in the Wizenmagot before they really lived through everything without anything or anyone to back them up. To me this is an excellent plan that is similar to the muggle work experience before anyone gains a job.

I never thought of it before but was it possible that Gringotts could help me locate my true family name?

As it turns out the answer was yes. I travelled to the bank yesterday and asked them about my inheritance. A few purebloods that were nearby sneered at me probably wondering how a muggleborn such as myself learnt of this test however the goblins took it in stride almost as if they knew what I was there for.

Three drops of blood in a private room later and I had my family tree. My family's name was Baltimore, a strong pureblood name that spands generations of wizards. My mother's maiden name was Eveleigh, she was a halfblood. That left me as one of the richest purebloods in the world now that I was the only one from either side remaining. The direct descendant anyway, I'm sure I have a few distant relatives as all purebloods do. I don't plan on taking the seat I have on the Wizenmagot for the Baltimore family as that would give away my secret as a Nymph.

I asked the goblins whether they knew what happened with my family and they willingly obliged. The story goes that my parents were killed during the war whilst supporting the Dark Lord. They'd never done anything but accept Dark supporters into their home when they needed healing which my mother was proficient in. The Light raided their home and killed them leaving me alone and without a guardian. No one knew what had happened to me except I wasn't present when the Ministry came to remove my parent's bodies from the manor. The Light must have hidden me away for my own good or something like that.

Anyway looking back through the family trees I realized that it was from my father's side of the family that the ability came from. Supposedly my great-grandfather married a water nymph and sired only one child before their tragic deaths a few years later though the difference between them and me was they actually had an uncle to turn to.

I was shocked but at least I had that magical creature book which I still hadn't the heart to read. Somehow I believe that is what I'm going to spent the remainder of the holidays doing.

~Lillian Baltimore

-~*~-

Reading through the book I realized that I actually was the one creating such odd weather patterns. It came as a shock that's for sure.

In the book 'Nymphs and their Elements', it lists a number of types of Nymphs. Each type of Nymph had a detailed description of what it can accomplish. For example, the Volcanic Nymph lives in volcanic regions and controls the magma that flows freely from a volcano. It is neither hurt by the boiling substance nor affected in any way by the poisonous gases it exudes. I find that fascinating.

Then there is my type of Nymph, the Water Nymph. It controls the weather and anything relating to water such as ice or steam however that is for more powerful beings and as such I do not believe I can control them though it would be worth it. At least that explains they weather in my neighbourhood recently. There aren't many of this type of specific Nymph left in the world today as not many live through to adulthood to actually have children. The book doesn't say why but I have a feeling it's to do with a Nymphs sixth sense.

All Nymphs have a sixth sense of sorts that helps guide us in the correct thing to do. It leads us down the correct path whether that is to lose all of our money or take a holiday at a specific time.

Tuney saw me reading this book and immediately began to ignore me knowing what it meant. I feel sorrow that she could just abandon me like that but there is nothing I can do. She doesn't want to know a "freak" as she likes to put it. I know this gap is irreparaable.

~Lillian Baltimore

-~*~-

Finally I have returned to Hogwarts though the first few weeks have been trying what with approaching NEWT levels and everything else that Potter can put me through in a desperate attempt to get me to go out with him. Like that will ever happen! Honestly does he ever give up?

Severus has gone further into the Dark Arts than I can drag him from and I worry that it is I that has pushed him further away. My instincts tell me that he is important to me in the future but that isn't likely to happen now. Not after what occurred during fifth year. Cissa has promised me that she will take care of him secretly when I cannot. Hopefully that will be enough until I figure out exactly what he means to me.

Last night I went through another stage of my Nymph transformation. It felt as if my blood was boiling beneath my skin. It was horrendous. Luckily a well placed silencing spell took care of my strangled screams so my dorm mates wouldn't hear me. I looked up this period of inheritance and it turns out that I am now officially a pureblood. Any muggle in my blood has been cleansed from my system leaving only the Nymph blood within me. Even the wizard blood within me has been cleansed of any muggle. I believe that is why many wizards attempt to marry a magical creature. It gives the descendants who gain the gene pureblood that not many of the wizarding purebloods can boast about.

I would love nothing more than to rub it in the future Death Eater's faces that I no longer have to be labelled with the term 'mudblood' but if I did then I would be in danger. I would immediately be painting a target on me as someone who could produce pure blood in future generations. Any pureblood would be after me then even if they weren't my mate.

Any child I have would be a Nymph and seeing as there aren't many of us in Europe anymore it would be like putting up a wanted sign and hoping that I'm not recognized so I will have to put up with them for the remainder of my life or until I finally discover my mate. Once I discover them I can thankfully tell everyone and no one can do anything about it.

Either way this remains a secret for now. I shall keep myself safe.

~Lillian Baltimore

-~*~-

It is finally Christmas and my dreams have begun. They will lead me to my mate and hopefully someone that I will actually enjoy spending the remainder of my life with. However it could take a while yet as the dreams are very blurry and don't allow a lot of light to see the person who is with me. At times like this I wish I were male so that instead of the dreams I could see the aura of others and follow the scent to my mate. That's not about to change any time soon.

I know my mate will be a pureblood (either Wizard or another Creature) because they are all that Nymphs can be tied to. Merlin I hope that it's not Lucius Malfoy. Not only is he more arrogant than James Potter he is already engaged to Cissa. Breaking up that would be horrendous especially considering my supposed status as a mudblood and by friendship with Cissa. It would just be terrible. I now have the habit of laughing at anyone who calls me mudblood now. It confuses my friends but it's all in good fun for me.

Remus Lupin one of Potter's friends approached me the other day and told me that he knew of my inheritance. He definitely shocked me into silence that's for sure. I was suspicious at first that he would go and tell his groupies but it turns out that Remus is the sensible one out of the four Marauders which I am most thankful for.

We sat down the other day and he told me of his own affliction which was the entire reason that he knew I was a Nymph to begin with. He has an excellent sense of smell due to his furry little problem. Together we began to study in the library after classes if only for the company of another magical creature's presence. I know that he isn't my mate since Remus has told me that he doesn't feel anything like that towards me and my dreams seem to point to someone more daring. I am grateful and yet saddened that he still can't locate the one for him. In time I know that he will.

We're now good friends almost like how Severus and I once were. I miss Sev terribly but I know that he doesn't want anything to do with me as long as I am a mudblood and against his 'master's' way. It upsets me that we had to end our friendship in such a way. But we can't change the past no matter how hard we try; we can only change the future. I can only hope that Cissa is looking out for him as promised.

~Lillian Baltimore

-~*~-

The time is now New Year and I have found my mate though loath to admit its James Potter. The dreams finally cleared to reveal him as the one standing beside me and the thought alone was both calming and nerve-wracking. If I had been male instead (which is very rare in Nymphs since they are **_all _**submissive) I would have identified my mate by their aura and smell alone. I feel that is important to mention now even though the book explains it all.

For the past five years he's tried to get my attention by belittling my friends and now it turns out he is my mate. I can't even tell anyone that he is my mate otherwise they would want to use me. They would just want to use me and the abilities that come with being a Nymph. I haven't even told my own family of this curse that has been granted to me through my biological parents and most likely to any children I bear.

Tuney would have even more reason to call me a freak and I desperately want to remain in contact with her for as long as possible after all we did grow up together. I'm hoping that despite our differences she will allow me to visit her and her husband on occasion with my family. At least then my child will grow up knowing some of their family.

However I will never have my child suffer alone under her wrath. Leaving any magical child alone with Petunia and Vernon wouldn't be the smartest move made by anyone regardless of how caring they would be for their own child. They could never accept a magical person into their family. They will know that I love them for it is in my nature. I will always be faithful as Nymphs are by their nature kind and caring. Though since Nymphs are also protective I doubt James will be allowed to have our child anywhere near a broom or anything else as dangerous like a wand until I allow it.

Back on track I will have to come up with a conceivable way to allow James Potter into my life before I tell him of my blood and his status as my mate. That way it doesn't look to out of the ordinary that I decided to date him. Perhaps Remus can help me with a plan?

I'm hoping that he takes it well. At least I know that I will live if he rejects me for their will always be another mate for me, a second, that would take his place should it come to that. I could always find someone suitable though it would prove to be different. Deep down I know that I will live with James Potter for the rest of my life and our child will grow up strong and proud.

I hope these feelings will shape the future.

~Lillian Baltimore

-~*~-

Everything after my last entry went off without a hitch.

When I actually told Remus he began to laugh at me of course everyone is going to find it hilarious that Lily Evans has finally decided after years of embarrassment and torture to date James Potter. God his ego would inflate. Remus helped me figure out a plan during our study sessions and together we thought of what would be appropriate and what would not for the first meetings and date. Everything had to be planned delicately before we told James about my status as a magical creature. Then I'd have to react normally. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to pull it off but everything worked.

Our plan to allow James in slowly was successful and six months after our first date I told him what I was and who knew. Needless to say that wasn't a long list. To say he was shocked was an understatement but at least he didn't faint or outright reject me in which case I would have to locate my Second. Nope instead James and I were married last week in a small but charming ceremony with our closest friends though Sirius wasn't too happy that I invited Narcissa.

Along with our closest friends the members of the Order were also present not that Cissa cared she was just happy for me. I had sent out an invitation that I knew wouldn't be accepted but I felt as if I should try to mend that bridge. If Sev did attend than he was under Polyjuice Potion much to my hearts ache. It's not that I have feelings for him like I do James I just know that this person shall be meaningful towards my future child. That is what concerns me the most, the future.

I haven't yet told this to James but I know that we probably won't live to see our child grow into an adult or possibly even a teen. The sixth sense of a Nympth has never been wrong before. It upsets me but I must put it behind me so that I can spend the time in the now. This is also the reason I have for mending broken bridges. I even tried to invite my sister who rejected the letter without a thought. Personally I'd like to have thought she kept the invitation but knowing her she burnt it as soon as she saw the sender.

I may not live long but I shall spend the time I have with my friends.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

I was so upset last night. I discovered that my mate, James Potter couldn't bear children.

As an Auror he is constantly out in battles trying to knock back the numerous Dark supporters before they overrun our society. Dumbledore believes all Dark bloodlines to be evil incarnate. I however have Dark bloodlines and yet I don't feel inclined at all to decimate the muggle population. I believe there is more to their beliefs than that they must have a good reason to believe in blood purity though I have never come across a solid reason for this. I'm beginning to lose my faith in Dumbledore's beliefs for this very same reason. So I have decided I will remain neutral in this war much like my parents did before me.

Dumbledore continues to send his Army into battles with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. Less people return each time and I'm terrified that James will be next after this last time. In the last raid that James attempted to cease he was hit by a Sterility Hex that is impossible to remove once it has been cast. He returned to me and actually cried his frustration. Not once have I ever seen James Potter cry but there he was sitting before me crying as if he had lost his parents again.

It was heart breaking for both him and me. He may never sire children and I can only birth children from my mates. Now I only have one more shot at parenthood.

I have looked up the only other way to have a child and I must choose someone that I deem worthy to sire my child though this man would also be my mate, my second. This choice shall change my life forever though I will remain with James will not be the father of my beloved child and that breaks my heart even more than not having any children at all.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

I shall have to begin the search.

I told James that I didn't desire to have a child that was not sired by him and he blew up. He explained to me (well informed was more the correct term) that he would rather dote upon another's child as long as the child also belonged to me. He told me that as long as the child carried my blood he would welcome them into the Potter family since he would be raising the child alongside me and not the biological father.

I was a little shocked I admit. Never would I have believed that James would be this desperate to have a family but I guess that after losing his father and mother to the Dark forces he would give anything to dote upon a child that would bring with it the future.

Besides, he told me, there is always a blood adoption. It may be illegal but who cares as long as the child is loved.

I melted at that one thought. Tomorrow I shall journey to Diagon Alley and attempted to locate them.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

I have located the other that can give me a child. All I need to do is get him to agree with it though I'm not too sure about it. I know of his past and this may cause problems with his wife that he doesn't desire to deal with. All I can do is hope that they will think it through and allow James and I the chance to have a family like the one they are trying to build.

I approach him tomorrow to explain what I am and how it affects us. I can only hope that instead of firing off curses at me he will allow me the chance to speak.

Merlin give me strength.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

He agreed! He actually agreed!

I'm so happy right now. James and I spent the night celebrating after the owl delivered his note. I haven't seen my husband this happy since our wedding and must say that it makes me glad that at trying time like this he can still smile.

My Second told me that under no circumstances was I to write his name on anything other than the true birth certificate so for now I shall call him my Second though he despise the title and what it entails.

The four of us shared lunch the other day as we went explained what was going to occur and how it would affect everyone. While My Second's wife is actually pregnant as well he is still willing to aid James and I as long as we grant him something in return. We were a little weary of what it could be at first but relaxed as he simply wanted to provide some funds for our child. So while James leaves him his entire fortune to be inherited at his majority, my Second will set up a trust vault for him so when he attends Hogwarts he uses that money until he finds employment. My Second also discussed naming. Neither my husband or my Second could see eye to eye so we will have the official birth certificate stating the their true name and the name of the biological father then a second one stating James as the father and the name we would give them.

James was a little disgruntled at that but he admitted it was a fair that he had some day in everything that happened to our child. We agreed after that the sooner we get together to attempt this, the better. I don't even know how this will occur since neither of us actually is attracted to each other. James may have mentioned something about a glamour charm but I wasn't truly paying attention. I was too busy talking with My Second's wife and discussing the future of our children not the smartest thing to do I know but hey who could blame me at the time?

So tonight we meet to create our child and I know that he or she will be the sun and moon in James eyes. They will mean everything to us.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

It has been nine months after the meeting with my Second and I have not written as much as I would have desired.

Our child has been born. His birth name as dictated on the true birth certificate is Silas meaning "from the forest" and Araluen meaning "place of waterlilies" for that is what my Second would have desired to call his son should I have chosen to raise him with his biological father but to James and I he shall always be our Harry, Harry in rememberance of Harold and James for his dad's name.

When he was born a month or so after my Second's first born I was delighted. Of course he didn't attend to see the birth but James was with me the entire way and I couldn't have done it without him. Just knowing the support I gain from him is overwhelming and soothing. I expect at least a letter from my Second as he will desire to hand over the key to Harry's vault. What with the climax in battles between both the Light and Dark I don't believe he will ever come to visit me again or meet with his son. At least he will continue to look out for my son in his own way.

We've decided to hide Harry under a strong glamour charm that would even fool the great Alastor Moody. We will use a combination of potion and charms to hide his appearance. It should last until he turns eleven. If it lasts any longer than that I would be surprised though it should last two extra years if he desperately needs it. James and I agree that it won't come to that.

All official documentation shall be hidden in this journal to keep it safe. No one must know of Harry's true origins.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

Harry is six months old and we've gone into hiding with this prophecy looming over our heads.

Everything was working rather well. James was continuing his job as an Auror and battled against the Death Eaters whenever a call is made. Harry is charming all of our friends especially his Uncle Moony and Uncle Padfoot. For some reason he doesn't like Peter which I can't really blame him for. The man is beginning to look more haggard by the day as if under some sort of pressure. Well that all changed when Dumbledore informed us of the prophecy.

In my heart I know that the one to warn Dumbledore that the Dark Lord knows the prophecy Severus and how it concerned us and I'm thankful that even though he will not speak to me that he is looking over me and perhaps my child.

The gleam in Dumbledore's eyes as he spoke the words of the prophecy was something I knew to watch for. It was like he expected us to believe him without thought. Of course James being the Light orientated person that he is immediately began to fret while I kept a calm head.

Dumbledore explained to us that Harry wasn't the only child that could fulfil the prophecy, that Neville Longbottom was also a choice. The Longbottom's were safe in their family manor so he wasn't that worried. What Dumbledore worried about was us who lived in Godric's Hollow. Thankfully James hadn't sold the manor when his parents had died he had simply moved away so he suggested that we move back there as the wards were centauries old and wouldn't be broken. But the headmaster told us it would be better if he went under the Fidelius Charm with Peter as our secret keeper.

I have no idea what that man was thinking at the time. Maybe he wasn't? All I knew was this was the moment that was going to define whether we lived to see our son grow up or died before his second birthday. My Nymph sense told me to remain quiet about this fact yet again and I knew that it had to do with protecting my child. Of course I was going to listen to it. In the end James allowed Dumbledore to cast the Fidelius Charm over Godric's Hollow and I nearly cried. This time next year we wouldn't be alive and I knew it. I also had a feeling that Dumbledore knew it as well what with the way he looked over us. I will never forget that moment in my life ever.

I'm just thankful that I listened to the books advice when I first bought it and hardly told anyone of my creature inheritance. To date the only people who know are: James, Remus, Cissa, Sirius and my Second. If Dumbledore were to find out I could safely say I would be used. So I shall instil the importance of secrecy to my child before Dumbledore grabs my child and drags him into something that is way over his head.

I will do anything to keep my Harry safe from harm.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

In a few months time, James and I have agreed to go through a blood adoption ceremony to further cement that Harry is a Potter. It will not rid him of his blood but it will change his physical features and hopefully by the time the glamour wears off he will look similar to James enough to not notice the difference however we won't know until then.

Since it is illegal to make anyone younger go through the ceremony we have decided as soon as possible. I can only hope that it will be done before we die as I know we have little time left. The date has been set for November 5th as I know we won't last through to Harry's second birthday. Hopefully when we are discovered it will be closer to Harry's next birthday that way perhaps he will remember some memories of us not that I haven't been keeping memories in a pensive to show him at a later date.

Merlin please give us more time with our baby.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

-~*~-

Tomorrow, everything shall change tomorrow.

I know that even without the knowledge of Harry, Severus will beg his master to spare my life however with the life of my son on the line there is no way I would forsake his life for mine. Regardless of his parentage he is mine and through his blood I will continue to live. My protection shall remain with him.

James is beginning to realize that something is wrong. He knows that something is about to happen and I won't tell him though I suspect he already knows of what is about to happen and we can't prevent it as he is spending his last minutes with Harry in a rocking chair talking to him about his time with the Marauders. It brings tears to my eyes as I sit hear writing but we have nothing for it now. We must try to remain strong for our child.

There are many things I regret in the short time I have lived in this world.

I regret my relationship with my sister who continued to try and sway me back to the muggle world. All she desired from me was to live with her, to continue to act as we always did as a normal muggle family. I wouldn't have it though; I being absolutely stubborn ignored her. To this day I wish I had listened to her perhaps then I wouldn't be about to face me death. However I will not trade this family for anything in the world and she should know what I speak of.

I regret cutting Severus out of my life as I did regardless of what he may have called me. He was my first friend at Hogwarts even with both of us in different houses. He was always there for me as I was him and I threw it away after one nasty word which I knew that he shouted at me when angered. I wish I could tell him in person that no matter what I will always watch over him.

Then there are the numerous friends I am leaving after having ignored them for an entire year whilst in hiding. There are Remus who has treated me a sister and Sirius who keeps me laughing even during the war. I will also miss my dear Alice and Frank. Cissa, one of my first friends, will always be with me. Leaving them all behind shall tear my heart but none as much as leaving my Harry.

If you ever read this my dear Harry know that I love you as did your dad, James. Even the short time that we had each other was better than nothing at all and though I know you probably wouldn't agree it was worth everything just to be with you.

We will think of you always.

~Lillian Baltimore Potter

* * *

Tears blotted the page. Harry knew who they belonged to and they didn't belong to his mother regardless of her writing.

* * *

**(1) - This is the future Alice Longbottom. I have no idea what her last name was beforehand.**

**Yes I realized that this entire chapter was about Lily and her journal entries but there was nothing for it. I wanted something different and this is what I came up with. Obviously Severus is not Harry's father in this one but there are clues no matter how small they are! You'll find out the identity of Harry's father next chapter! I want to see whether anyone can figure it out first though as I work on my other fics. Good Luck!**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**~MidnightEmber**


	3. Chapter 3

**Cloudier** **Sky**

**Warning:** This story contains Creature!Harry, Slash, Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing.

**Pairings:** Voldemort (Tom Riddle)/Harry, Severus/Lily, Lucius/Narcissa

**Disclaimer:** Does Voldemort survive the Final Battle? No? Then I do not own Harry Potter.

**Legend:**

"_Parseltongue"_

_Letter/Newspaper_

* * *

**~ Chapter Three ~**

Harry closed the journal with a snap rubbing at his weary eyes. He'd been up reading all night long and now it was early morning. There was no way he'd get enough sleep if he went to bed now. Not that he desired to of course. All he would dream of is his parents' death on Halloween, Cedric in the graveyard and then Sirius in the Department of Mysteries on a continuous loop. Then there were the numerous others who Voldemort had tortured to death on a continuous basis since his resurrestion. With all of those in his mind there was no way he could sleep one peaceful night.

His Aunt had apparently assumed the same thing as he no longer had any arduous chores to finish before his Uncle came home. He was told to simply keep his own room tidy and cook their dinner. Breakfast was handled by Aunt Petunia and lunch was small since Uncle Vernon had work and Dudley normally went out rather than spend time around the house annoying Harry. It was a blessing, it truly was.

But now he had to focus on the task his Aunt had given him. He had to learn control over his abilities so that the summer weather could return to the scorching days it had been in previous years. However all this information was a lot to take in for one night and to say he was shocked was an understatement.

Never in his life had he believed that such an occurrence was even possible. He knew of course that some families kept situations like this secret so that it wouldn't be abused in the wrong hands however he wasn't sure what his mother had thought by not telling more people. Perhaps she hadn't known who were the wrong hands to trust with this? So she trusted only a few people, those she would trust with her life and the life of her unborn child.

What was unbelievable was that his mother had actually hidden this secret from her own parents and sibling. Sure they were only adoptive but hadn't she trusted them? But Harry guessed that a being with as much power as his mother was something to be drawn to.

His mother had been an adopted Nymph. Not only that but a Water Nymph a rare creature that controlled the water and weather with their emotions something that he personally didn't have much control over at all at present. That was after all why his Aunt had given him his mother's belongings in the first place. At least he knew what he was now but with that one answer it created so many other questions.

How did he control his abilities?

His mother had never mentioned that in her journal. Only that she was a Water Nymph. She had also mentioned a few facts about the Blood Cleansing and mates but that was it. His mother hadn't been very informative on that subject. Luckily he also found that book she had bought when she was only just realizing what she was, "Nymphs and their Elements". It had been included in the numerous possessions she had included in her chest. He would have to read that later when he could actually concentrate enough to attempt any control over his abilities.

Would the blood wards protect him now that he wasn't actually an Evans?

Since Lily had actually been a Baltimore that meant he didn't carry the Evans blood though neither did his Aunt since she had also been adopted. Harry was a Baltimore and a . . . well he would have to check his birth certificate for that (AN: mean aren't I?) but Harry knew that his father was a pureblood making him also a pureblood wizard. He didn't have an ounce of muggle blood in him and after the Blood Cleansing what little there was wouldn't be there anyway. So technically he didn't have the same blood as his Aunt, Uncle or cousin so that meant that there was nothing for the blood wards to work with. So how were the blood wards even created in the first place?

Not that it really mattered with Voldemort sharing his blood as well. He had used his blood in his ritual after all, proving that he could at last touch him unlike in first year and yet Dumbledore continued to send him back here even with this problem with the wards. But he guessed that after everything Dumbledore only used him every year before leaving him here so what did it matter if Voldemort could enter the wards as long as he returned the next year to fulfil his purpose.

Did he have other family?

After all his mother's true surname was Baltimore. Were there any Baltimore's left or had they all been killed off when the Light had attacked his grandparents for aiding the Dark? Perhaps he had distant cousins or Uncles? Anyone had to be better than where he was now. But he would never be given into the Baltimore's care not if his father was still alive or even a sibling. That brought up a fond question.

Who was his father?

Obviously the man was from a dark family who was already married at the time of his conception and his wife had been with child as well. That meant he had a father, stepmother and half-sibling living somewhere. It was possible however that he had more family than that now but he didn't really care for that at the moment. All he knew was that he had family in the magical world that hadn't ever asked about him or how he was fairing. He doubted whether they had even approached him even if said he knew the truth.

It saddened him to realize that even though he knew that he had a family any Dark family couldn't be openly seen conversing with Gryffindor's Golden Boy regardless of relation. That reasoning alone didn't help with his emotions as he could hear the rain pouring down outside revealing his true emotions. Did they even care if he was alive?

Harry had always wanted a family of his own but now that he might actually have one he was beginning to worry over the small things. Such as whether they would like him, whether they would accept him whether they cared he was a parselmouth like the Dark Lord. The only thing standing in his way of locating them was his own desire to find out who they were. All he had to do was look at his birth certificate and he would have all of his answers and possibly more.

Pacing around his room he thought about the whether or not he actually wanted to know who his father was. Even if he never found his father's family, his mother's family might still be alive somewhere. He'd heard of the Baltimore's before but had a feeling that they didn't live in either England or Scotland. That could be a problem if he decided to locate them since Dumbledore would never allow him to leave Britain without first killing off Voldemort.

Well that pretty much left him with the only option of looking for his father.

Slowly Harry opened the journal back up to the section at the very end. Before he continued further he needed to know the identity of his father. Alright so he didn't need to know the identity of his father to continue on but he wanted to know who would be so callous as to forsake their son.

As his mother had written, there was a small sealed section that held everything. His true birth certificate, some of her research on Nymphs, it was all there and all ready for Harry to read. Now all he had to do was locate his Gryffindor courage and break the seal to reveal all the information he had longed to understand.

--

~Birth Certificate~

Name: Silas Araluen Malfoy

Date of Birth: 31st July 1980

Father: Lucius Abraxas Malfoy

Mother: Lily Potter nee Evans

Siblings: Draco Lucius Malfoy (Half-brother)

Godfather: James Harold Potter

Godmother: Narcissa Malfoy nee Black

--

His birth certificate fluttered to the floor. He hated to acknowledge it but that answer explained a lot . . . not!

Lucius had known that Harry – er Silas -- was his son and yet he still attempted to kill him for the Dark Lord. After all he had been at the Department of Mysteries. He had been trying to get the prophecy from him to give to the Dark Lord. Lucius hadn't helped Harry in any way possible in fact he had done everything to make sure he succeeded and they had partially since Sirius was no longer with him. He still couldn't think of that particularly painful memory.

Draco even wasn't that fond of him. Rivallary could hardly count as fondness. Did he know he had a brother at all?

Harry's heart twisted painfully as he thought of that. He had two families and both hated him for different reasons. The Dursley's hated him for being magical while the Malfoy's hated him for supposedly being a half-blood. It was confusing him but he realized that he no longer had a family that actually loved him like a true family should and that was all he wanted.

It was at this point that Harry noticed a letter that had appeared as he had dropped his birth certificate.

-~-

_Harry,_

_Assuming you have received this letter and the information included with it, you know that James and I are dead. Most likely that interfering coot Dumbledore has placed you (against our wishes) with my sister and her husband. I never wanted that for you and pray that they at least didn't abuse you however I know my sister well enough to know that she won't take you willingly._

_You may be wondering why your biological father didn't claim you and I admit that it is entirely my fault. I believed that we would survive what I had seen and never sent him a copy of the papers. After all James and I didn't want him to have anything to do with you, our child. I know however that with our death he would have desired to claim you since blood is important in the wizarding world. Without those papers he wouldn't have been able to even gain an audience with your guardian._

_Considering everything now I feel that I have failed you my son. I couldn't protect you and I couldn't give you the family that you needed to live a happy life. Now that decision is up to you._

_With these documents you can petition for your guardianship to be changed if Lucius and Narcissa will have you in their family. I'm not sure of how the future has changed but they should desire to care for you. After all you are blood relatives and if there is something they truly care about it is family regardless of how regal they look in public._

_Lucius shall never forgive me for my mistakes; I can only hope that you can even if it takes a few years._

_Love your mother,_

_Lily Baltimore Potter_

-~-

Harry swallowed hard. That was a lot to take in. It had hurt to realize that his mother had indirectly caused him to be placed at the Dursley's but he could hardly place the blame solely on her. He had an option now. He could leave the Dursley's forever and never return but that only led down one road, the Malfoy's. Harry wasn't entirely convinced that they would do as his mother said. After everything they had put him through over the past five years he couldn't simply walk up to them with a straight face and ask them if they were willing to have him. No he needed proof of their family loyalty before all else especially in the face of who he was and who exactly was out to kill him.

So he had two choices.

One: Continue on the path that Dumbledore had lain out before him. He would have to forget that the Malfoy's were related to him and continue foiling Voldemort's plans, if he didn't die in the first place. Oh he knew Dumbledore didn't exactly care about his welfare what with the prophecy stating he was the only one to kill the snake-faced bastard. As long as he killed the monster before he died no one would truly care what happened to him as long as he left a will and mentioned them in it. No he would never have a life choosing this course.

Or he could . . .

Two: Choose his own path. That would mean he would have to go to the Malfoy's a risk that might also get him killed if the wrong people were present. But he might also gain a family who would look after him much healthier than the Dursley's ever did. He wouldn't have to worry about what he would do when he returned to school. As immediate family of one of Voldemort's supporters, Voldie wouldn't dare kill him since nothing was more important to purebloods than children.

Purebloods were lucky to have one child what with all of their inbreeding but to have several was cherished and the family said to be blessed. Somehow the Weasley's even though they should be "blessed" were blood traitors so they couldn't claim any of that prestige. Everything was mixed up in his mind, he was confused.

Seriously what was he supposed to do in this situation?

Harry looked at the letter again and felt longing. He knew he desired a family yet he wasn't positive that the Malfoy's were the correct family to be going to in this circumstance. No he needed to know whether or not they would be willing to take him in before approaching them to any degree. Well how was he supposed to do that? He wasn't sure whether or not one of his letters would get through their wards. They would probably block all letters from the Boy-Who-Lived believing that they were just letters of hate rather than anything else.

But what would happen if he . . . yes that might just work.

* * *

Lucius had been waiting for this day to come for years. Ever since the death of Lily Potter he had waited for any signs that his youngest son might actually desire to contact him. He knew that when he was little he couldn't understand that his father wasn't his father but that wouldn't matter to him. He would rather have his son with him and not understand than to leave him where his muggle Aunt and Uncle could harm him.

He'd never been granted custody of his son not even when he claimed under a magical oath that Harry James Potter really wasn't a Potter at all. Yet again Dumbledore had meddled in his affairs and sent his son away from him and not told a single soul where the child was even so he could visit. Lucius had his suspicions that it was because of his status as a Death Eater that led Dumbledore to do that but he would never harm his son.

Furious he spent his hours at the Ministry instead of at home with his wife and mate, Narcissa and their son, Draco. He knew he shouldn't have but at least Narcissa understood why he was fighting. She desired to have her friend's son with them even if she wasn't his biological mother. However the more he fought the less he won. Without his birth certificate he couldn't do anything. So eventually he pushed it aside until he knew that he could bring it up again.

So when he knew the boy had turned eleven he waited for any sign that his son to contact him. Yet nothing came. They had yet again been slightly disheartened at that. It just proved that Lily and Dumbledore had gone far to protect his child from his true family.

The first time they had set eyes on him was at King Cross Station. He was almost an identical form of James Potter though they knew it was all due to that potion in his bloodstream. They had only glimpsed him as he walked through the station and directly onto the train. He had glanced in their direction yet he hadn't recognized them and they knew what that signified. Harry didn't know that they were family.

The only choice they had was with their own son who hadn't been told that he had a younger half-brother. It would be for the best if Draco first befriended Harry before anything else and yet that hadn't gone to plan as a Weasley had gotten between them. Lucius had been furious. A Malfoy would never associate with blood traitors but his son didn't know that so he was slightly calmed.

Draco had apologized profusely for his failure but that hadn't bothered Lucius either. He had simply told his son that Draco would have to be remembered by Harry through some other form and if that form wasn't a friend then why not a rival? Draco who had always enjoyed a challenge agreed immediately if only to make his father proud and get closer to Harry.

It worked and over the years they spent most of their time arguing but it worked and that allowed Lucius to be told what exactly occurred in Harry's time spent at Hogwarts. He could also guess at what occurred when Harry went "home" for the summer. Just by one look Lucius knew that those were the worst type of muggles.

They didn't care for Harry at all and the only thing that stopped them from actually harming his son was the threats of the Wizarding World and magic in general. However Lucius couldn't help but wonder what damage they had done to him verbally and emotionally. It was no secret that Harry Potter didn't really understand some emotions and most of the time he hid it well but the Slytherins were always the sneakiest of the Hogwarts students. There was a lot to make up for.

However none of that mattered to Lucius as he sat in his study staring at the single sheet of parchment that had arrived for him that morning by a single snowy owl that he knew belonged to his son.

His son knew who he was. His son knew he was a Malfoy. His son knew he had family.

His heart sung with the news though it didn't show outwardly. Of all these years he never assumed that Harry would ever contact him and now he had. Though he was cautious about how he worded some of it he was unbelievably blunt about some of the other facts probably still attempting to convince him at the time of its writing.

-~-

_Dear father,_

_That certainly was weird. I am not use to using that term and when applied to you . . . well it certainly wasn't a term I would have used for you a few days ago if I suddenly decided to pen a letter to you._

_Forgive me for being blunt but I know that you were the one who sired me._

_My mother left a few of her belongings with her sister before she died and surprisingly enough Aunt Petunia actually kept them. Mother told Petunia that if I were to ever exhibit certain characteristics of the bloodline that I shared with my mother that she was to give me the chest to aid in my control. What bloodline that I share exactly with mother I would rather explain to you directly as an intercepted letter would be worrisome for the both of us that is if you don't already know._

_Through these documents I came across my birth certificate and as stated it read you and my mother as my biological parents with Narcissa and James as my godparents. That led to many questions some of which my mother answered through her letters and journal however I still have many to ask of you._

_I shall get straight to my main point however. What I desire to know is if you have any desire to raise me even if I am currently sixteen and nearing adulthood in both the Wizarding and muggle world. I am well aware that you are also raising Draco and he shall be the Malfoy heir as he is older by a month however as you can assume my "home" life isn't all that everyone states in the Daily Prophet._

_I do not know whether or not you shall reply to this or even if I should have wasted my time in writing it however I would still like to get to know my father if you will have me._

_Regards,_

_Silas Araluen Malfoy_

-~-

As Lucius finished reading the letter for what felt like the fiftieth time Narcissa walked in to his study. Ever since Lily's death and the realization that she wouldn't be allowed to raise her godchild she had become somewhat bitter and detached from her family. Even Bellatrix had commented on her change of attitude now that she had been freed and that coming from a woman half crazed from Azkaban wasn't a good sign. Hopefully this would return the spark to her.

"What has you so pensive, Lucius?"

Silently he handed over the letter and watched her reaction. Her face remained as stoic as ever and then she handed the letter back to him and turned around. Lucius sighed perhaps then it would take more to bring her out of her current phase but they he realized her shoulders were shaking. Cautiously he stood and moved around her only to find her crying silent tears. His heart clenched. Narcissa was feeling again. Calmly he brought her into his arms and held her tightly as she wept for the first time in years. She hadn't even wept for the death of her friend and now she was releasing it all.

"It shall be alright, Cissy. We can finally claim him as our own now. No longer shall he remain with those muggles. He shall have a proper home with us."

Lucius spoke calming words to his wife as he heard the door open. Draco had obviously heard his mother crying for the first time in his life and come to discover what had caused it. However as he held Cissy he realized that he would have a lot of explaining to do with Draco but this was just the beginning of their family reuniting.

* * *

Harry woke in the middle of the night to an agonizing pain shooting down his spine. He had spent the entire day going over letters he was writing to Mal . . . Luc – _his father _– and he hadn't really had any sleep the night before since he'd spent it reading his mother's journal. So he had decided to take an early night and regain his strength. The rain that still poured down around them only made it easier for him to sleep peacefully for the first time in his entire time staying with the Dursley's.

He felt his blood boil beneath his veins and tried not to scream. This was more excruciating than the Cruciatus Curse but he didn't want to wake his relatives up and have them banging on his door as they woke to his screaming. That wouldn't be pleasant the next day regardless of how much time this summer they had spent ignoring him.

In a brief moment when the pain was only mild he glanced at his clock through teary eyes. It read midnight which meant that he was sixteen. He knew that this was the Blood Cleansing that his mother had gone through but this was too early. He didn't understand why –

His thoughts were cut off as he fought to stifle yet another scream of pain as his blood boiled again in his veins.

He just wanted it to stop.

Why couldn't it stop?

Please . . .

Just . . .

Stop.

* * *

The next morning Harry woke and groaned as he felt his muscles stiff from the pain of last night. Last night . . . that was right he went through the Blood Cleansing two months earlier than he originally thought. He needed to know what actually happened. As soon as he forced his muscles to stand he immediately went to the book his mother had brought, "Nymphs and their Elements". It should at least explain a little more about what he went through last night without being the vague ramblings of his mother from her journal.

-~-

_Chapter Four: Blood Cleansing._

_The Blood Cleansing of the Nymphs generally occurs two to three months after the Nymphs sixteenth birthday. It has been seen before however that some Cleansings occur earlier or later than this general time period. Predicting the time for the Cleansing is often difficult and based entirely per person. The level of other blood in the person's system usually indicates how long the wait shall be before the Cleansing begins however it also considers the person's magic level. _

_The more magic a person has the quicker the process will occur regardless of how much other blood they have or not. The quickest the process has ever occurred is within a week and a half of the Nymphs sixteenth birthday. That particular record was set by one of the royal court who led his people for many years by the side of his mate._

_The Blood Cleansing puts any other pain to shame. The blood within a Nymphs veins literally burns itself as it pumps through the heart to rid itself of unnatural or unwanted blood within itself making all Nymphs pure-blooded creatures. The Nymph can't be masked from the pain as the process burns through any potions that run through the system during this time. This normally leaves the Nymph unconscious for twelve hours so the body may recuperate from the arduous task. _

_This process of a Nymph will complete cleans the blood of everything else. All other blood types that are in the person will be eradicated during this process whether it is Wizard, Creature or Muggle blood. In some rare cases it has been known that during the process a person can be eradicated of the Nymph blood leaving another creature inheritance beneath it. This however only occurs with the blood of a Vampire, Veela or Incubus._

_-~-_

Harry sighed in relief. The Blood Cleansing occurring prematurely only meant that he was stronger than the average wizard or in this case Nymph. If he had to guess then he would say that he was part of the royal family that had been eradicated two hundred years ago by the Ministry of Magic that left Nymphs to the point of extinction and yet rare creatures. Wouldn't that be fun to explain to his father?

It had been mentioned that Lucius was part creature. Many assumed that by his fair features he was part veela however Harry didn't think so. He knew his father was obviously some sort of creature but he had just knocked out three choices. There was no way he was a Vampire, Veela or Incubus. That didn't particularly help but he could always look it up later instead.

This all proved to be nerve-wracking for him. He knew now that he was powerful and probably incredibly strong when it came to manipulating the weather. His power would draw people to him naturally like a moth to a flame. Lily was right he couldn't tell anyone apart from those he truly trusted about his creature. If anyone else discovered it he would be used like a weapon or kept under lock and key til his mate arrived or he was needed to prove something. That wasn't how he desired to live his life.

He would just have to wait until Lucius replied, if he replied. If not he would be keeping this secret like his mother did and not tell anyone until he truly knew them. He wouldn't tell Dumbledore or anyone on the Light side like his mother until he knew that they all cared for him alone and not just his triumph over the Dark Lord. Harry highly doubted that he would find anyone like that however he had to hold out hope. Surely one of his friends (even if they hadn't written him all summer) cared for him just because he was their friend, their companion. Yeah that was why they eagerly followed Dumbledore like lost lambs.

Harry's stomach growled calling to attention the fact that he hadn't actually eaten anything since yesterday. Looking at the time he knew that Vernon and Dudley would have already left for work and terrorizing the neighbourhood respectively. That just left him with his Aunt who normally either ignored him or was attending luncheons with other "respectable" wives so he needn't have worried about her.

Making up his mind to whip up something small for lunch so that he would actually be able to eat it, Harry walked down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. As he had assumed, Aunt Petunia was sitting by the TV watching something and doing needle work while completely ignoring the fact that he had moved from his room. Quickly he pulled together a light sandwich and grabbed an apple as well as a glass of water. It wouldn't do for him to remain too long downstairs as he would just begin to remember Sirius or all the other troubles he was burdened with. No he had to remain busy and for now that meant learning control of his emotions and through that his weather abilities.

He polished off his lunch and washed his plate before leaving the kitchen and heading back upstairs. On his way through he passed his Aunt who actually stopped him by grabbing his arm and jerking him towards her. Harry was about to enquire what he had done now when he realized that she was studying him as if he had changed so he remained silent until she was ready to speak.

"What on Earth happened to you? You look like, well, you look like Lily."

It has been a shock to her when she had headed for the kitchen only to run into Harry who looked nothing like he had the previous day. It took all of her will power to stop from bringing him into a hug. He just looked so much like Lily that it broke her heart.

Harry startled at hearing his Aunt's voice.

"What?"

He hadn't bothered to look in the mirror that morning after he showered as he was still sore but now he wished he had. The Blood Cleansing had obviously cleaned that potion from his system regardless of whether it was meant to or not. That also meant he looked nothing like James Potter. His Aunt had forced him before the hall mirror to take a look and he knew he was correct. There was no hint of James Potter in is features at all.

Remarkably he looked almost identical to his mother. His eyes had remained the same stunning emerald green colour yet now they had small hints of silver in them which he knew came from Lucius. His hair was no longer black but an auburn colour that his Aunt had murmured was a mix between his mother's hair and that of his grandfather's. Luckily there was no blond as he believed that red and blond didn't mix well together. His height was still embarrassingly short which he knew came from neither side of the family more from the malnourishment he received at his "home". He had his mother's nose and ears and yet the shape of his eyebrows was thin and he had the aristocratic high cheekbones of his father. The entire combination left him quite elegant and dare he say it attractive compared to his scrawny awkward form that had been the mix between Lily and James. Yes this was a much better look. He looked entirely pure-blood.

"What happened?" his Aunt asked hoarsely trying to keep her emotions bottled up.

"They were hiding it, the fact that James Potter wasn't my father. Lily and James hid it using a potion that temporarily gave me the looks of James until they could Blood Adopt me however they died before that and one of the -- err stages I go through cleansed my blood of the potion for good making my appearance revert back to what I truly look like. This is what I actually look like."

Harry explained as much as he could with his Aunt without using many magic terms.

He had to admit it was a lot to take in but it was worth it. He hadn't particularly enjoyed looking like James Potter what with his messy hair – wait . . . his hair had actually lengthened which he'd only just noticed. How could he have ignored that? It was the same length as Lucius' and yet he knew it was because he'd never had this hair cut before. The potion must have had something to do with that by keeping his hair the same length. It gave him a feminie touch that truly he didn't mind though he knew it was his submissive side kicking in and internally squirmed. He wasn't about to think about mating yet. But that left another question unanswered for him.

How was he supposed to explain his new appearance to the Order?

* * *

**Alright so no one gets confused I'm going to continue using Harry's name until he gets adopted by the Malfoy's (and it will happen!) then he will be under the name of Silas.**

**Next chapter Harry goes to Grimmauld and unexpected reactions occur.**

**Thanks for the reviews**

**~MidnightEmber**


	4. Chapter 4

**Cloudier** **Sky**

**Warning:**This story contains Creature!Harry, Slash, Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing.

**Pairings:**Voldemort (Tom Riddle)/Harry, Severus/Lily (one-sided), Lucius/Narcissa

**Disclaimer:**Does Voldemort survive the Final Battle? No? Then I do not own Harry Potter.

**Legend:**

"_Parseltongue"_

_Letter/Newspaper/Books_

* * *

**~ Chapter Four ~**

He couldn't do it.

Harry stifled the urge to scream knowing it would only cause his relatives to barge in and yell at him. He'd been trying for what felt like months to control at least part of his weather ability and yet no matter how hard he tried to do what the book said he couldn't even make the clouds shift slightly away to reveal the sun for a few seconds even if it was only to appease his curiosoty.

The weather had continued to pour undesired rain onto the suburbs and there was nothing he could do about it. The only leeway he had been given was that he still didn't have to do chores for the Dursley's apart from cook dinner. His aunt had obviously seen his frustration at his lack of control and had most likely talked to Vernon who had caved beneath his aunt's ferocious glare. Harry knew anyone in the household would cave beneath that glare as he had been the recipient of it too many times.

However that still didn't help him one bit. The amount of control he needed for his control on the weather to work was similar to that of Occlumency something which he had failed terribly at. So it came as no surprise to him that he couldn't master this. The thing was like Occlumency he needed to master this lest his secrets be discovered by the enemy or well anyone basically that he didn't want to tell. That left him with no one as usual.

Now he only had a few he could trust. Fred and George were on the top of his list as was Luna. That was probably it for humans and that wasn't something to be proud of at all. Then there were his pets, Hedwig and Nye. Hedwig seemed to be eternally loyal and acted more like a protective mother than his familiar. Not that Harry cared. He was glad that Hedwig acted differently to other animals. It simply made her unique. Nye on the other hand acted like sneaky and playful a carefree mix of Gryffindor and Slytherin just like his owner. Neither would abandon their owner unlike his so called friends and guardians.

Sensing his thoughts, Nye came up and carefully rubbed his head against Harry's leg in a comforting gesture. Luna really knew how to pick an animal that bonded well with him. Harry believed that Nye actually had some empathic ability that allowed him to know what his master was feeling. Lucky him. Perhaps he would be able to help Harry though his training on control? That would only work after Nye learned how to control his ability if that ever happened. Harry didn't know whether Nye could sense emotions _and_ influence or simply sense them. It was terribly confusing. Only time would tell.

Sighing, he collapsed back onto his small mattress and brought the book closer to him to re-read the information that he was attempting to decipher once again. Nye jumped onto his bed and curled up on his pillow.

x-x-x-x-x

_Chapter Seven: How to Control the Weather (Water Nymphs Only)_

_Water Nymphs are known highly as the users of water and manipulators of the weather. They spend most of their lives around water as that is where they feel most comfortable. Mostly they live near the sea, a like or in an area where rain is common. Even though they are rare individuals and generally keep their natures to themselves, Water Nymphs often search for their mates (first or second) in populated areas where most of the year is spent beneath clouds of rain as their mates are often drawn to water as well though they may never realize it._

_Mates are necessary for the Water Nymphs to learn control. They aid in the control of the Nymphs emotions and allow them to release their emotions in small amounts over longer periods of time rather than allowing them to release their emotions in one burst that would disrupt the natural weather system. Without the mate there is only so much a Nymph can do to control their abilities. _

_The best way for a Nymph without a mate to learn control of their emotions is Occlumency. _

_Occlumency is the art of shielding the mind. It acts as a barrier to keep in both thoughts and emotions from the prying eyes of others. This helps as the more hold one has over their emotions the more hold they have over their powers even if it wouldn't be to the full extent. However the stronger a Nymph is the harder it is to master this difficult art of magic either before or after they come into their inheritance. This is taught from master to student and shouldn't be attempted alone. _

_The other technique they could use to help in the control of their emotions is meditation. This helps to calm the mind from all emotions and helps the body to relax. Usually one can do this without aid however some find it easier to use calming music or a steady sound to focus on like water dripping from a tap or other natural sounds around the home. _

_These few techniques can be utilized to control the emotions of a Water Nymph however occasionally these don't work and the emotions will only be controlled once the Nymph had found a mate. Once the mating occurs (see chapter eleven for the bonding of Nymphs) the control will stabilize and the Nymph will be able to use their abilities properly instead of purely emotion based. _

_Numerous emotions have different effects on their abilities and cause different results. _

_For emotions such as sadness, depression and melancholy the weather turns from cloudy to raining or bucketing depending on how severe the emotion is or from what the Nymph is suffering the emotion from. This dramatic turn of weather usually occurs when the person is suffering from the loss of a loved one or the rejection of one of their mates. _

_Anger or fury usually creates warm weather equivalent to that of summer however if the anger is mixed with another emotion such as melancholy previously mentioned it turns into lightening. Happiness or joy causes sunny weather typical of a spring day. Boredom however causes the weather to turn bitter and cold. _

_The wind normally associates with irritation or calm of the Water Nymph. The irritation usually turns into fury or anger before the winds become strong enough to cause any damage to the surrounding area however nymphs with particularly good patience will see the occasional damage before irritation turns to fury. _

_The more emotions that are shown at any time will cause the weather to go awry and the more intense the worse they situations are ranging from cyclones to tsunamis. Any of the emotions that are crossed will share similar symptoms through each though the exact prediction lies purely with the Nymph and what they are feeling. _

_x-x-x-x-x_

Harry had read that section about ten times and he was nowhere near even getting the basics down and it was entirely his fault. He couldn't do Occlumency at all. Well they'd proved that with Snape but even attempting to learn it on his own didn't work it only seemed to make things worse for him. Then there was the "finding your mate" solution.

For that to be of any use he would need to be somewhere near the wizarding community to locate them. At the current point in time that was useless as he was stuck in the middle of the muggle world and not even within walking distance of London where he could access the Leaky Cauldron a spot where most wizards travelled through daily. So he could not rely on his mates help.

That left meditation. He wasn't going to be a fool and assume he could do meditation because no matter what he tried it didn't help in relaxing his nerves. He had tried everything to release the tension building within him caused by his emotions but nothing helped him!

At first he'd attempted the simple meditation with no interference. After five minutes of sitting in the same position in silence he'd begun to twitch. Sure there had been the sound of rain outside and the wind had picked up along with his irritation but he'd begun to focus on that sound instead and the twitching had picked up along with the rain and the wind making it the worst downfall they had actually seen in ten years. Petunia had given him a stern talking to for that mistake.

Then a day later he'd tried the meditation in the kitchen where he could focus on the dripping of the tap instead of the rain outside. It wasn't a surprise that hadn't worked either as he still itched to move around and not sit in the same position for Merlin knows how long. After that he'd even tried listening to the TV or his Aunt while she knitted something hideous for Dudley but they hadn't worked either.

Now he was annoyed and it showed as the wind howled outside.

Harry had literally no control over his abilities until he found his mate and they had begun to bond. Even then he didn't know whether that would work properly since everything else had little effect as well. He was beginning to worry and that just made the weather worse yet again. He could never win. At the moment he was sorely tempted to begin banging his head on the kitchen table however refrained from doing so as his Aunt walked into the room.

At first she ignored the fact that he was in the room at all until she realized that neither Dudley nor Vernon were at home and turned to him looking on with concern. It wasn't the first time she had given him this look this summer. Petunia had realized that he was struggling through something and this little fact had just added to his burden.

"Have you had any luck with the . . . weather?"

She had improved. No one could say that she miraculously developed a liking for magic though. That might take awhile.

Harry sighed and rested his head on the table. "I've looked through the book mum left me and the only way I can stop it is by finding my mate."

At his Aunt's blank stare he elaborated.

"I have two mates, a first and a second. They are people who complete me. They help me with controlling my emotions and through the control of emotions I can control my . . . abilities. However they will be –er my kind so I won't be able to locate them until I leave here when the Order come to pick me up . . . if they come to pick me up."

"And mates are?"

"Mates are . . . well as I said they complete me but I suppose it would be like being marries to someone except there isn't a divorce and more than likely if my chosen on dies before me I would follow within the span of a year depending on how close I am to my mate physically and emotionally."

"You need to be married to two people?!" Petunia squeaked.

Harry's head shot up.

"No! No I only need one of them however I'm given two in case one of them rejects me or one of them dies. Then at least I still have the other one. They are also normally people with extremely good control over their own emotions because it takes a lot to help a – well it would take a lot to help control what I am."

Petunia relaxed at that thought and then stiffened again.

"This person . . . will they be male or female for you?"

Harry blushed. He really didn't want to be talking about this with his Aunt.

"The person will be male but that is because what I am are usually female. When I received the gene from mum I was strong enough to activate it causing me to inherit the gene. From now on since I have the gene I will be able to give birth though I'm not entirely sure how. I will also pass the gene onto all of my children whether they are male or female."

Petunia nodded her head.

"You shouldn't mention this to anyone especially Vernon. He is a little homophobic. If he hears that you will be with . . . well it wouldn't at all go well. So we won't speak of this topic again. If you need my help at any time then just leave me a note amongst my knitting. Vernon and Dudley won't go looking through there so it should be safe."

"Thank you for everything Aunt Petunia but it shouldn't be necessary. The Order should be coming tomorrow to collect me and I won't be coming back here once I find my mate."

Petunia hesitated before stepping forwards slightly and touching his arm gently.

"Please would you . . . stay in touch with me Harry? I would hate to lose contact with you. You are the last link I have to my sister. I watched her walk out of my life once and I don't think I could live with myself if you did the same."

Harry nodded and grinned, "Don't worry I'll send you a letter via post."

Petunia watched as her nephew walked back to his room and sighed. That grin spelt trouble for them in the future no matter what it was.

x-x-x-x-x

When Harry woke the next morning it wasn't raining. Blinking, he looked outside and sure enough it wasn't raining but the cloud still remained. It was definitely an improvement but what had caused it? He was still depressed over losing Sirius and his friends in one hit that hadn't changed. But something had caused the change so what was it?

Thinking back, Harry remembered the conversation he had yesterday with his Aunt. That simple conversation seemed to lift his spirits and ease the tension he had felt in his body by bottling up all of his feelings and keeping all of these changes a secret. Yes that was the reason he felt better this morning. His Aunt, his relative, had actually talked to him like he was an actual person and not a creature from outer space that should be hunted down and killed.

He felt accepted by one of his few blood relatives and that made the difference to his emotions and through that the weather. Harry wasn't positive how long it would last but he was glad that his Aunt would tell he was making progress even if it hadn't been on purpose.

Throwing back his covers he climbed out of bed and pulled on the first pair of pants and shirt he found before leaving his room and walking downstairs. For once he was starving and he was going to eat even if it was a Sunday and Vernon would be home for the entire day. That didn't mean his mood was going to change due to that. No, that he was use to.

As usual for a Sunday, Vernon was sitting in front of the TV watching some show that interested him, Harry didn't particularly care what it was, while Petunia was sitting on the only single couch in the room knitting. Only Petunia looked up as Harry walked past the room giving him a small smile and then glancing out the window to show that she was pleased. Harry returned the small smile before walking into the kitchen and fixing himself breakfast.

The small amount of love Petunia was showing him wasn't grand and it didn't compare to what a true mother would give to her child but it was enough for him. He knew that it would take a lot to patch up the rift that had formed between them from an early age but he was prepared for it as long as she desired to fix it.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Vernon grumbling went to answer the door.

"Boy your freakish friends are here to take you away!"

Harry's first thought was to jump with joy. Then he remembered that none of them wanted anything to do with him since the death of Sirius and slumped slightly in his chair as the rain began to fall again. He sighed and he'd just stopped that from happening as well.

His "friends" wouldn't give a damn about what had happened to him and they wouldn't even notice the change in his appearance. Even if the change was huge considering he no longer had James' hair. It was purely his mother's mixed with his grandfather's an auburn red colour that was definitely not the black he was use to. As far as they were concerned he was only going to be remaining there as a guest . . . in his own house. Well he would have to show them then. He wasn't about to let them push him around. Perhaps Kreacher could help . . .

Shaking his head he headed upstairs before his Uncle could start shouting at him again. His belongings were already packed and ready to go so he grabbed onto the handle and dragged it heavily down the stairs knowing that it would upset his relatives and most likely the person who had come to pick him up from this hell hole.

It didn't come as a surprise when he didn't see either Remus or Dumbledore waiting at the door. No instead it was Tonks someone who he had only just met last year and hadn't spent a lot of time around. That didn't appear to make much of a difference when he was concerned.

Tonks didn't even speak or look in his direction but he didn't truly mind that he had nothing to say to her either though it hurt to admit that no one was on his side. He was truly alone in this matter until he received a letter from his father.

The rain was now pouring outside and obviously Tonks didn't know a charm to keep the rain off her clothes as she was soaked through from standing in the doorway. Vernon wouldn't ever allow "freaks" inside if he could help it. Refraining from sighing for a third time, Harry moved outside just as Petunia called him back.

She handed him a plain black umbrella that was old yet not warn. Obviously she knew he would need it where ever they took him. "Don't forget what we discussed yesterday alright and I expect you to behave around those you find trustworthy and loyal, alright?"

Harry could have smirked at his Aunt if Tonks wasn't there. She obviously knew that he no longer trusted the Order or Dumbledore and worded it to make sure that he could do what he liked to them without them knowing. It wasn't surprising really that she wanted him to annoy the lot of them since she'd never truly liked any of wizards that she had met anyway. So instead he simply nodded and opened the umbrella making sure that Tonks couldn't fit beneath it before walking away from Privet Drive for the last time.

He continued walking down the road in the pouring rain knowing that Tonks was following him. When the Order came to collect him last year he was told that the safest place to portkey from was the park three streets away from Privet Drive where the wards didn't reach and not many people visited. So he assumed that this time wasn't going to be any different and began to walk directly there.

As usual his body protested the portkey travel and he fell to the ground. I bet if someone had actually taught me at a young age I wouldn't have a problem, Harry thought bitterly as he stared forlornly up at Grimmauld Place. This was the place that they had imprisoned Sirius in and now it was his turn except no one would speak to him unlike Sirius who always had someone in the house to talk to even if it were only Buckbeak.

The house appeared as they silently walked towards the front door and it opened revealing a group of people all looking at him with frowns on their faces. Pssh like he hadn't expected that when he arrived. That face wouldn't work on him anymore. Once Harry was safely inside he folded away the umbrella but kept it with him. It appeared as if the weather had followed him. He could only hope that his Aunt was finally getting the reprieve that she deserved for putting up with him for the summer. The door closed with a quiet click and the silence surrounded them. The Order watched Harry and he watched them.

Dumbledore as always had that eternal twinkle in his eye that spoke volumes. Harry ignored it and moved on. Remus was looking at him with poorly hidden disgust. It hurt to see the man he associated with his parents and godfather look at him that way but he wasn't about to beg for forgiveness that he shouldn't have to earn. Mrs Weasley looked about ready to jump on him like she always did and that only caused him to cringe where once he welcomed her motherly nature now he found it overbearing.

In the background he could see Ron, Hermione and Ginny who all looked at him with apathy. He understood why they left him so swiftly then. They weren't truly his friends. More than likely they had been bargained with by the headmaster to remain with him. Well it was a good thing as he didn't want them anymore.

Snape however was a different story. Harry's whole body cried out for the man. His magic sung, burning through his veins almost like the Cleansing yet less fierce and the weather turned ugly seeking one of the people that could help him control all of his emotions. Of all the people it could have been, Severus Snape, would have to be one of his mates. Fate just liked to mess with him that much.

Harry didn't particularly believe that it would be wise to bring that fact up in a room full of other people especially when his mate was glaring at him hatefully but he needed one of his mates. It was a miracle that he had actually discovered him so close. He wouldn't waste this opportunity but he knew that Snape wouldn't willingly believe him without proof which he would have to gather before approaching the man. Sighing, Harry couldn't believe his luck sometimes.

"Harry, my boy, what happened to your hair?" Dumbledore asked shock evident in his voice.

Of course he would be the first one to discover something "wrong" with his perfect Golden Boy especially when said Golden Boy no longer has the silky black hair that labelled him as such. He had auburn hair now, couldn't they just be happy for him?

"I came into my inheritance this summer and this was one of the changes that occurred."

Everyone frowned at the missed information in that sentence. They were obviously hoping that he would say more than that and tell them what he actually was but he wasn't so forthcoming now especially with the likes of them.

"Perhaps we should move this into the kitchen away from certain eavesdroppers." Snape snarled glaring into the dark at the Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

Dumbledore nodded his agreement and Harry found himself seated in the kitchen with an interrogation squad. They would never learn but this had to happen eventually. Harry wasn't about to tell then anything he hadn't even told his Aunt everything and his "trustworthy" mate was sitting in the room with him now. Yet Harry only wanted his mate to know everything about him, stupid Nymph emotions. He wouldn't feel alright without his mate knowing everything there was to know about him but he would at least feel calmer knowing that his mate knew something about him. It would appease the creature side of him for now.

Harry sat at the centre of the long table with Remus, Snape, Dumbledore and Molly surrounding him. It was uncomfortable considering Molly looked ready to pounce and mother him again on his left and Remus was ready to murder him on the right with Dumbledore across from him and Snape glaring at him from Dumbledore's right side.

"Now Harry tell us everything there is to know about this situation and we can help you." Dumbledore said calmly.

"I've already told you everything you need to know. I came into my inheritance this summer and it caused the changes in my body both physically and emotionally. You don't need to know anything else about my situation that is up to my mate and him alone."

That was when Remus addressed him for the first time since he'd arrived.

"So you're a submissive then."

Everyone seemed to perk up at that piece of information but it didn't truly matter at that though he guessed he should tell them that they couldn't match him to anyone otherwise that would be uncomfortable for the other person when he did locate his mate. Well the other person would end up dead but who actually cared.

"Yes and my fated dominate will be very protective over me."

The faces fell slightly. Serves them right trying to match me with someone, Harry thought bitterly.

"We'll just have to help you locate them then. What can you tell us of your abilities so that we can help you with whatever else you may need?" Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly voice, pity that didn't work on Harry any longer.

"I don't need your help. I must find him on my own! If I allow someone else to aid me knowingly then I will never gain the respect I need from him! I will die should that happen to me because my mate won't accept me then! You mustn't help me at all. I don't need you interfering in my life!"

Harry had begun speaking normally but hysterics from the Nymph side of him allowed him to end shouting at the small group. Molly looked ready to burst into tears at the sight of him.

"Oh Harry dear you shouldn't have to worry over such a thing yet especially since you aren't old enough to think about marriage and fated ones. Just leave it all to use and forget about everything. Your mate doesn't need to find you yet. What if your mate is on the Dark Side?! You mustn't be allowed to go anywhere near them at all for fear of them handing you over to the Dark Lord!"

Silence reigned over them. It was obvious to Harry that that thought hadn't been considered yet and now it was out in the open and they were all worried for him and here he had believed that they would all be smart people. Not. Harry couldn't believe that they thought his mate would harm him in any way. Remus should have known that any mate would never harm their fates one or viceversa but no his eyes had widened with the rest of the fools.

Severus Snape scoffed aloud.

"Any person who would desire Potter as a mate would have to either be desperate or blind which I certainly am most not. Potter isn't worthy for anyone to be with he is purely scum."

Harry felt his heart crush. That was enough of a rejection for his nymph to acknowledge. His emotions were in misery as was the weather outside. It was pouring down and no one had bothered to notice. Standing with his fists clenched into balls Harry glared directly at Snape.

"Just because you were blinded by the fact that I looked like my father doesn't mean my mate will be and yes I shall find him whether he be on the Dark side or not! He was meant to be with me and it won't matter what our allegiances are!"

Harry kindly left out the fact that if his fated was on the Dark side he would switch sides instantly. Turning he opened the door only to have Ron, Hermione and Ginny fall at his feet looking up at him sheepishly.

"You shouldn't listen in to adult conversations it could get you hurt." Harry growled at the cowering trio before heading up to the room Sirius had been preparing when Harry would be allowed to move in permanently.

The room was simply enough, queen sized bed, wardrobe, work desk, attached bathroom and a window seat. It was simple compared to the master bedroom (considering that it housed Buckbeak now) yet more sophisticated than the other bedrooms the Order was using. It was the heir's bedroom and he was the next Lord Black after all so it made sense.

When Ron figured out that he was no longer sharing the bedroom they used last year instead of complaining that he was sharing a room with a dangerous killer he would complain about Harry getting the better room. Molly would fuss against Harry spending time on his own as would Hermione even though she wasn't supposed to be talking to him and then there was Ginny. She would probably try to gain his attention now that everyone would become aware that he was heir to the Black and Potter family. He couldn't wait until they realized he wasn't even truly a Potter. However he wasn't worried about any of that.

Harry simply collapsed on his bed dead to the world. After all who would want to be near any of these lowlifes?

x-x-x-x-x

It was the second day after he had left Privet Drive and Harry was beginning to feel trapped. Grimmauld Place which he had once held all hope in saving him from the Dursley's was turning out to be even worse. Regardless of how many people were at headquarters at any one time none of them paid any attention to him at all. They all either looked at him in disappointment, disgust or apathy well the adults did anyway. The children were another story.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny had obviously gotten over the "I almost got killed by following Harry Potter into danger" stage and were now moving to the more annoying "Harry Potter gets whatever he wants stage and what he wants I want". It was purely frustrating.

Ron wanted the heir suite that Harry had purely because it was better than the room he was using now and he believed that Harry didn't deserve it. Little did he know that if he had won that argument (which he didn't) Harry would simply have moved to the master bedroom and even though he wouldn't have been ready to face that he would have done it just to spite Ron.

Hermione wanted access to the Black Library. Pity for her the Black Library only opened for relatives and not guests unless invited in and only then it would be a onetime visit. That was where Harry spent most of his days since it was the only place that he got any peace from the stares. The only way Hermione could have entered the library was if Harry announced that she was his blood sister (ritual included). When that was mentioned by Dumbledore Hermione's eyes had lit up. Harry had vetoed the idea knowing that they couldn't force the ritual either.

Ginny wanted to be Harry's mate. That caused all sorts of problems. One, when she told Harry her intention he would have cursed the girl hadn't Remus held him back. His nymph side would never allow it. Two, Ginny walked around the house saying that as Harry's mate it belonged to her. Molly had quickly picked up on that and followed it adamantly. Both had Kreacher pulling on his ears.

It was that morning that Harry walked in to breakfast and witnessed Kreacher pulling on his ears.

"Kreacher cease that nonsense at once."

Kreacher obeyed much to everyone's shock.

"What should Kreacher be doing instead masters?" Kreacher asked turning to his master.

Being a house elf of the Black family meant that Kreacher knew what Harry was and couldn't betray his secret to the others. Since his blood was pure both Kreacher and Walburga Black accepted him warmly. The other members of the Order were left to their wrath.

"How about trying to get even by taking their belongings and hiding them in forgotten places?" Harry suggested lightly before sitting down and grabbing a piece of toast, buttering it.

Kreacher cackled in glee before disapparating with a pop leaving the Order to stare at Harry.

"You can order Kreacher around Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry answered with a simple nod.

"Of course he can he is the heir to the Black family after all." Ron huffed before stuffing his face with more food and making everyone cringe in disgust.

"That means you could make Mrs Black cease shouting at us!" she continued practically jumping in her seat.

Harry knew that Walburga was always a soft spot for many of the Order members who had met with her nasty temper. It was actually amusing to hear the stories told from Walburga's point of view.

"Probably."

Everyone began talking loudly at that word.

"Come on then let's go and test it out!"

"No."

The silence fell over the room.

"What do you mean no?"

"You are technically in her house, her ancestral home, she may call you whatever she likes and I don't feel the need to tell her otherwise as she isn't annoying me and it is my home now as well. I just consider you all unwanted guests." Harry said smiling cruelly.

Before anyone could speak Harry grabbed another piece of toast and left. He had other problems to worry about and that included his ex-mate, Severus Snape.

Since he had spoken that Snape had literally severed the line between them making it weak however it also made the call to his other mate stronger something which he was thankful for. His other mate was out there yet they didn't know it yet they were Harry's mate and nothing could deter him from locating them. There was only one problem he had to get through and that was living with these useless Light members.

Harry just hoped that his father returned his letter soon otherwise he would never remain sane by the time the next school year began.

* * *

**Hey another chapter down and plenty to come. Next chapter Lucius gains custody of Harry! Thanks to everyone who reviewed I feel loved! Pssh ^.^'**

**~MidnightEmber**


	5. Chapter 5

**- Cloudier** **Sky -**

**Warning:** This story contains Creature!Harry, Slash, Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing.

**Pairings:** Voldemort (Tom Riddle)/Harry, Severus/Lily (one-sided), Lucius/Narcissa

**Disclaimer:** Does Voldemort survive the Final Battle? No? Then I do not own Harry Potter.

**Legend:**

_~Parseltongue~_

_Letter/Newspaper/Books_

* * *

**~ Chapter Five ~**

Grimmauld Place was as barren and dark as he remembered even after being there for only a week. It appeared as if Mrs Weasley's cleaning campaign hadn't helped at all though if anything Harry blamed it entirely on the helper's lack of effort. Ron, Hermione and Ginny never did anything to help with the mess and only seemed to create more. He could also blame Kreacher who had placed house elf magic on the house making it impossible to clean without his master's express permisson but that wouldn't be fair as he really did like that house elf now.

Kreacher was doing his job perfectly. Every morning at six o'clock he woke Harry up with a breakfast of pancakes and a selection of fruit accompanied by some juice. Then he would reappear when Harry was finished eating usually twenty minutes later depending on how swiftly he ate. While Harry was usually reading or doing homework in the library he was cleaning the rooms that only his master frequented. By then it was lunch which Kreacher fixed for Harry only and sabotaged the Weasley matriarch's attempts at cooking. After lunch he spent the afternoon "cleaning" the house which meant he simply went to add more dirt to the parts of the house in use by the Order. Kreacher would then complete his day by making Harry dinner and then going back to taking some of the Order's belongings and hiding them.

But most importantly Kreacher wouldn't obey anyone from the Order. In fact he had been ordered to listen to only those that Harry himself approved of, regardless of whether or not they were related to the Black family. Walburga agreed with it thoroughly and praised Harry for the order which left Kreacher simpering that the last lady of the house adored the new master. Yes Harry could truly say that Kreacher was a god send for this behaviour had the Order practically foaming at the mouths.

It was brilliant and the perfect action to those who treated him poorly however that didn't alter his mood terribly much and left London under relentless rain.

Ever since his arrival he had been found in only two places: his room or the library. Well they were the rooms the Order knew about. He spent his time away from the adults that wanted to practically analyse him and his ex-friends who wanted nothing more than to annoy him until he spoke about what they wanted him to or gave him what they desired. Neither was likely to happen anytime soon. But the main reason he remained in foreign parts of the house was Severus Snape.

Without realizing it, the hated potions master had rejected probably the only chance he had at happiness. Sure Snape could have relationships with other people however it wouldn't never compare to being with him and Snape would be able to tell the difference. Harry knew that the reason his mother had felt a strong connection with Snape was because her son would be his mate in the future, pity that future had been dampened by his own mistake.

Everyone knew that no one could sever a mate bond completely. They could only make it harder or easier for the bond to form. Severus had practically destroyed the bond by rejecting him before he'd even had a chance to explain himself. With Harry having two possible mates all Severus managed to do was go from First Mate to Second which Harry could feel through the bond. That was both a good thing and a bad thing.

The good information was that he obviously already knew his First Mate regardless of how much contact they had. It wouldn't be that difficult to find him then since all of the people he knew would be at Hogwarts or around Diagon Alley. The bad information was that he didn't know who it was and it would be much harder to locate him when he was surrounded by hundreds of people.

Harry sighed. His life would never be easy. With the rejection came the endless rain which Harry was beginning to get use to know. In an odd way it helped him relax and concentrate on something that wasn't his endless changing emotions. Of course everyone else was complaining but Kreacher didn't seem to mind even when some parts of the house began to leak with rain and dampen the carpet.

However he was anything but relaxed today. This morning with breakfast he had received a letter from the Ministry. The last letter from the Ministry had told him he was going to be expelled for using his magic around his cousin to save their lives so he was a little worried what this could be. Sure he knew that it could also be his OWL results which he was looking forward to but he had a feeling that someone else held his results at the current point in time until he needed them. All he could do is hope it wasn't Dumbledore.

With a deep breath, he took the letter into his hands and opened it.

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_It has come to our attention that you have been misplaced with your current guardians and we at the Ministry seek to rectify that mistake._

_According to our records here at the Department of Child Welfare you were meant to be placed with your biological father, Lucius Malfoy, and his wife, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black however other influences took your guardianship into account and moved you to a secret location against regulations and left you with a family of muggles that aren't related to you. Unfortunately even though Mr and Mrs Malfoy claimed this relationship to you it was never proven and you were left with the muggle relations that outside influences decided for you._

_A week ago we received a letter telling us that you had sent a letter to your father detailing that you knew Lucius Malfoy was your father. That leads us to believe that you have information on you that states Mr Malfoy's relations to you in a legal documentation._

_With this in mind we have granted Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy a Custody Trial on the 15th August. You need to be present with all legal documentation for them to be granted custody of you. Any others that wish to make a claim as well should be present with all of their legal information for them to have a chance._

_Regards,_

_Madam Westfield, Department of Child Welfare_

Harry released a sigh of relief. His father actually wanted him. His father actually cared. No not only that, Narcissa, his godmother, wanted him despite the fact that he wasn't biologically hers. For once since the death of Sirius, Harry actually smiled and in doing so made the sun appear through the thick clouds. He knew that the sunlight wouldn't last long in this place but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

Moving over he glanced at the calendar beside his bed. August 15 was tomorrow which meant that he didn't truly have a lot of time left here anyway. Smiling he allowed himself a simple pleasure and curled back into bed forgetting the breakfast tray by is bed. Tomorrow he would be meeting his father, tomorrow he would be free.

x-x-x-x-x

The day of the Custody Trial Harry was left a nervous wreck. Sure he had brought all of the items he needed together the day before and he had triple checked that he hadn't left anything that he would need. Then he had simply dressed and carried the information he would need with him downstairs. It was late afternoon when he walked downstairs.

Of course the only one paying him any attention was Kreacher since no one would speak to him due to Kreacher's position but that was alright he didn't mind. All it meant was less people around him when he actually decided to floo out of Grimmauld.

Harry knew that since none of them actually held the wards to the property that anyone leaving wouldn't be brought to the attention of the household. That was probably the only relief he was going to get. He was still unsure of when he would be returning and if it was during dinner he would be asked a million questions about where he went and what he did. Perhaps they would give him Veritaserum but he doubted they would stoop that low when he was their "saviour". At least he only hoped they wouldn't.

"Is masters having everything he is needing?" Kreacher asked as he pushed him towards the fireplace.

Harry checked that he had all the information gathered about his biological parents and nodded. This was it. He was going to gain a true family and not one that would simply push him aside when goings got tough.

"Have dinner ready for me when I return."

Kreacher bobbed his head eagerly, ready to obey his master. Grabbing a pinch of floo powder, he threw it into the fireplace and called out his destination.

"Ministry of Magic."

Grimmauld Place was left behind in a flurry of green and as usual he tripped upon arriving leaving him to knock into the ministry official who was patiently waiting for him. The official was a man by the name of Everett Green. He was tall with brown hair and deep blue eyes. The Ministry robes he wore were only slightly loose to accommodate for any concealed weapons.

As usual there were many wizards coming and going via Floo network however he had a private one which was used for VIP guests something that Harry found hilarious since there weren't that many people worthy of using the VIP floo in Britain usually they were all foreign which meant that they used another floo network altogether.

"Welcome Mr Potter if you would follow me then we can get you directly to the court room so you can begin your custody trial when the Malfoy's arrive." Everett spoke breaking Harry out of his thoughts. "Are you aware of anyone else who might try to interfere with the proceedings today? If so please inform us so that we may keep an eye out for them. I'd hate to postpone this for another day simply because of an illegal interruption."

Harry smiled. "No one even knows I'm here. They think I'm home either in my room or in the library. Dumbledore might be a problem but everyone else I know isn't working today. I think that may be the reason the date was set to begin with."

Leading him down deeper into the Ministry, Harry was relieved to see that he wouldn't be in the formal court room used for prisoners that he had been last time. Nope this time he was being treated like a proper guest with only a minor reason to be present today something that he was currently grateful for. Upon entering the trial room he realized that only Madam Westfield was present. Harry wasn't terribly worried about this though as he knew he'd arrived early to escape the bitter people at Grimmauld.

Everett told him that someone else was likely to escort him back to the floo after the trial had ended so he needed worry about getting lost before he bid them good evening and left. That left his full attention to Madam Westfield. She was an elderly lady probably in her late eighties which to the extended life of an average witch or wizard was nothing. Her greying hair was pulled back into a bun similar to Professor McGonnagal's and her pale blue eyes revealed her kindness. She was dressed modestly with a deep blue robe over a pair of pants. Her entire being calmed Harry's nerves which he was grateful for.

"Good evening Mr Potter it is a pleasure to meet you though as it turns out you may not even legally be a Potter."

Harry smiled sadly. Biologically he wasn't a Potter however he had still inherited the money as the only son of Lord James Potter.

"However we won't speak of that at the current time since we should wait for Lord and Lady Malfoy. I am most curious though as to why only you arrived today unaccompanied by say some of your friends, someone you trust or even the headmaster of Hogwarts that the public seems to adore so much."

A small blush crossed Harry's face as he recalled sneaking out of the house with the help of his house elf. No one had even heard him move from the fourth floor to the first to leave he had been that sneaky.

"Let's just say some of my friends are fickle, I only seem to be able to completely trust myself now that those I trust seem to die mysterious deaths and I'm not the wizarding public."

Harry watched as Madam Westfield smiled. He had known that she was at least a Dar Supporter if not part of the Death Eaters since his father had chosen this specific person to go over there legal documentation. That didn't bother him though in fact it caused him to relax further since he no longer had any faith in the headmaster or his friends. Technically he could only find trust and support in Dark Supporters.

A knock at the door signalled the arrival of the Malfoy's. Harry's nerves seemed to return if the knowing smile Madam Westfield gave him said anything at all. She called them in and as usual they entered with refinery and dignity.

For someone who had spent a fortnight in Azkaban, Lucius Malfoy looked very healthy. Harry cringed at that thought. It was his fault his own father had been sent there in the first place. As if hearing his thoughts Lucius gave him a slight cuff behind the ear in reprimand. Other than that he was dressed in elegant and obviously expensive clothes that suited the Slytherin very well. His long blond hair was pulled back into a leather band to keep it neat. Narcissa was also dressed in the very best looking as sinister as she could possibly make herself. Her blond hair was pulled back as well though it draped over her shoulder in a twist.

Together they looked imposing but to Harry the look suited them and he wasn't scared at all. All three continued to stare at each other for the first time since the Department of Mysteries.

"You have the Malfoy bone structure making you look like Draco's double however your colouring belongs completely to your mother. I must say this look suits you more than that of Potter's." Lucius commented breaking the silence.

"Indeed it is a wonder that Dumbledore hasn't discovered your true parentage for himself yet." Narcissa spoke.

Harry flushed beneath their scrutiny, pleased that they liked his true appearance. The Order had been shocked and appalled that his hair had changed during his inheritance. He no longer looked like a James Potter clone though that didn't stop Snape from sneering at him. Of course they could only think of ways to change his hair back to the short black curls that he once had to make him look more like their saviour. It disgusted Harry they would go to those lengths just for his appearance of all things and then forget he had emotions to deal with.

He knew that once this information got into the press and he was sure it would eventually the Order would be on him to explain everything that had led to that moment in detail so they could think of ways to get him back in their grasp.

"Well I am glad that you are all here now so we can begin." Madam Westfield said.

Lucius nodded and took a seat beside Harry while Narcissa sat on the other side.

"First we need all of the documentation from both parties if you have them."

Neither Lucius nor Narcissa had any documentation since that was what had caused them to lose the original trial when he was still nothing more than a baby. Harry however had all the evidence they needed. Without hesitation he pulled out the documents and handed them over to her however he kept the journal in his lap. He'd only brought it in case the documents weren't enough but he knew that handing that over would have to be handled after he was sure that the secrecy spell worked. It would only allow certain paragraphs or sentences to be read the rest would be kept private.

However the documents containing his birth and biological parents appeared to be enough for Madam Westfield especially when compared to that of the false document that had been made for James sake and the sake of the public. Lucius took the birth certificate after Madam Westfield was done to have a look. He'd never seen the original before he'd only been told by Lily through letter that there had been an official one that she was keeping.

That had annoyed and angered him. How could she have developed an original certificate and not give him a copy in case something occurred especially since she seemed to have an idea that they weren't going to survive long enough to see their son grow to the age of five. It had set them back years of time with Harry – Silas and he couldn't get over how much his son looked like a mix a Lily and him. Silas was almost split half and half unlike Draco who was purely a Malfoy.

"I never knew that Lily made Narcissa your godmother. I assumed that it had been Alice Longbottom since she was Neville's godmother." Lucius commented before handing it back to Madam Westfield.

Narcissa glowed at that remark. She had always been close to Lily and had hoped that she would be named godmother however when Alice had taken that role she had been severely disappointed.

"I suppose you would like to keep that information however a copy of your birth certificate shall be placed in the archives so that the Ministry is aware of your information. It shall be self updating so you won't need to come here every time you would like something changed. Also the information concerning one Harry James Potter shall be removed since it is obviously false."

Harry now Silas, nodded happily. He finally had a family.

"All that is left to do is document any memories concerning abuse both physical and mental."

Silas froze. That would not be pleasant and simply going through it all again had him shivering in fright. Narcissa immediately saw his reaction and kneeled down before him in a move that didn't suit her grace. It was something that would never do in public but Silas guessed that he was hardly counted as a public person to them anymore.

"Silas whatever you have experienced won't change the fact that we want you. We've waited a long time for this moment and some memories won't hinder our decision."

Lucius agreed by placing his hand on Silas arm gently. After a minute to regain his composure Silas nodded reluctantly.

"I should warn you that we will see everything that happens and if Lord and Lady Malfoy decided to press charges against the people that hurt you they are well within their rights."

Silas just nodded again and the memories began.

x-x-x-x-x

_He was five. His appearance made it seem as if he were only just four though which was probably due to malnourishment though he didn't know it at the time. At this age he'd always believed that this was normal for a true family but it wasn't._

"_Boy make breakfast and hurry." Vernon snapped as Harry used both hands to move the frying pan holding the eggs, bacon and tomatoes._

_It was painful to see that he could use help but Vernon didn't move and neither did Petunia. Dudley really did look like a baby whale especially as he wailed for breakfast. Unfortunately for Harry he dropped the heavy plan and all of their breakfast was spilt across the tiled kitchen floor. Harry's eyes were wide as Dudley continued to wail. However Petunia had a disgusted look on her face while Vernon was furious._

"_Damn it you freak can't you do anything right?" Vernon stomped towards him before back handing the child._

x-x-x-x-x

_He was seven and doing the gardening like he normally did every Saturday morning. The sun was up bright and early yet it wasn't scorching yet so the heat was bearable. Animals chattered happily around him including snakes that beyond his reasoning he could understand. He shouldn't be able to but he could and the best thing was he could talk back and they understood. The garden snakes became his first friends even when the kids at school refused to because of Dudley._

_Weeding the garden was easy and by far one of his favourite chores on the weekend. It meant he got outside for a time that wasn't school and he was grateful for it so he spent as much time as he could in the garden even if it meant having to do the other chores slightly faster._

_~Speaker how are you today?~ a little green snake asked him as it crawled from a nearby shrub. _

_Glancing around he saw that no one was near him so he allowed the snake to crawl up his arm to allow easier access to speak to him._

_~I'm alright though I still don't enjoy the small humans at school they are all mean to me because of Dudley. I do like to learn and read though! My instructor says I'm really smart and that I could skip a ranking but I have to fail my tests because if I got better than Dudley I would be punished.~ Harry hissed sadly._

_He continued weeding the garden in case his Aunt came back to see what he was doing. If he was caught simply sitting there he would get into trouble._

_~Does that mean young one that this instructor of yours knows about the abuse?~_

_~Yes he does but he still doesn't do anything about it all he does is look at me in pity. I really hate them sometimes. Humans can be so annoyingly blind to the harshest of things and all because they don't want to believe the someone like them wouldn't be able to do something like that.~ _

_Harry was so engrossed in the conversation that he didn't see his neighbour come into the backyard and scream when she saw the little boy being "attacked" by the snake and call for Petunia. His Aunt rushed into the backyard and shrilly began to scream for Vernon since she was positive that if the freak was killed under their watch they wouldn't live to see the next day. Vernon simply stalked quietly forward and ripped the snake from the boy's arm. _

_There was a harsh reprimanding from his Aunt for playing with dangerous animals followed by a private beating by his Uncle._

x-x-x-x-x

_Harry was twelve watching as his Uncle put bars on his windows and locks on his doors. This house was becoming a jail for him considering that the only time he was allowed out was to use the bathroom twice a day. All his food (which consisted of a can of soup) was pushed through a dog door that had been installed on his bedroom door. Vernon sneered at him through the now barred window. Yes he was sent to a jail during the summer not a welcoming, loving family or home. _

"_Honestly look at all of these bruises and broken bones he's suffered Albus! This doesn't come simply from boys being boys. This is usually signs of abuse! Minerva told you not to leave Harry with those muggles but you didn't listen and this is what it has come to!" Poppy yelled at Dumbledore._

_Harry was awake even though he really should have been asleep. The noise had woken him. It was obvious Madam Pomfrey in all her wisdom forgot the silencing charm yet again but now he didn't want it. They were talking about him after all. Was it possible that he would finally be free of the Dursley's?_

"_Nonsense Poppy he is safe there from--"_

"_--everyone but his relatives Albus! You can't ignore this any longer it has gone too far. I warned you of what I discovered in his first year when he came in and from there it has gotten progressively worse! His suffering from malnutrition and there are a few broken bones that I had to fix without his notice."_

_Oh, they were discussing the abuse. That wasn't any different from other people except that Madam Pomfrey was actually attempting to change something for him. She wanted him removed from his family and he could have almost gotten up and hugged her. _

"_I'm sorry Poppy but he is safest from Lord Voldemort and Death Eaters there. Nothing you or I can change that. I am looking out for his wellbeing after all. As long as he can live there he has nothing to worry about. Those muggles won't kill him not when I'm paying the man for the trouble."_

_Harry sighed quietly he'd always wondered where all that money had come from. _

"_This is my final decision. Harry Potter remains with his relatives." Dumbledore swept out of the room and left Poppy standing alone._

"_Alright Albus but when Harry defects away from you I won't stop him."_

x-x-x-x-x

_Harry was sitting in the library at Grimmauld Place in his favourite chair by the fireplace listening to the quiet house. It was peaceful when no one was around to bother him though he knew that they were trying to gain entrance to the room. _

"_Harry can't you just come out and talk to us. We don't have to tell anyone that you spoke to us even when you were forbidden from doing so. We would never get you into trouble." Hermione scolded from the other side of the door._

_Yep, so much for the quiet._

"_Come on mate we can go and play chess at least that is something I can beat you at and perhaps we can barter that room of yours so I can sleep where I rightfully belong." Ron said._

_Harry twitched slightly at that comment. That was his room by right and anyone not the heir of the house wouldn't be allowed entrance unless invited that was common knowledge in pureblood families or so Walburga had taught him. That was yet another thing that separated the Weasley's from the aristocracy. _

"_Harry~ You could come and stop hiding from your mate. I know you mean well and all by maintaining my virginity but you don't have to worry about that I've already lost it to someone else. I could even pleasure you if you like."_

_Try as he might he couldn't block out any of those people. Not even by reading and he couldn't use his wand to cast a silencing spell on the door. _

"_Look here young man come out right now! We need to talk about your heritage. You can't keep this a secret from everyone forever and if you allow us to know what type of creature you are then we can help you find your mate. Wouldn't that be good for you? You could go back to being your usual self then and cease with the auburn hair of yours."_

_Mrs Weasley made Harry see red and almost leave his sanctuary to attack her though the weather outside to belay his anger already. It was pouring as it usually did but accompanied with that was lightening and hurricane force winds. _

_A growl signalled Remus approach to the door, try as he might though he couldn't enter either. "It is about time that you left that room and did something else for awhile. Albus is worried that you are reading books that could possibly be dangerous."_

_Harry glanced at the cover that read "Top Twenty Dark Curses of the Ages". He raised his eyebrow at Nye who was sitting beside him. It was safe to assume that it wasn't Light reading. _

"_You aren't are you because you know that Si-Sirius wouldn never have wanted you to do something like that? Come out for a little bit. Get some air. Do something that is around other people for a change."_

_The unspoken "so we can keep an eye on you" wasn't missed by either person. Harry could only tune out the people who occasionally came to the door. When would these people give him a break?_

x-x-x-x-x

The memories ended and Silas couldn't look anyone in the eye. He hadn't remembered much of that at all and it pained him to relive it before his father and stepmother. Never had he realized it before but what the Dursley's had done was terrible when he compared it to his friend's families. Then there was the Order who hadn't helped much either. There had only been eighteen months in which he had known true happiness and that was when he had been with his mother and stepfather. He had no memories of that at all so they didn't particularly count.

Silas didn't acknowledge Narcissa moving towards him until she was right in front of him and pulling him out of his chair. He tensed expecting to be pushed away and instead felt arms wrap comfortingly around him. His eyes slightly filled with tears but he wouldn't allow them to fall here in the presence of someone who wasn't family.

"Don't worry about what those monsters did to you. We still care for you and you won't even have to go anywhere near Dumbledore or those blood traitors again." Narcissa reassured him.

Silas nodded but didn't attempt to move away. Lucius watched this with an appraising eye. He was glad that Silas had accepted his wife easily enough. For a time he had worried that his son wouldn't like Cissa because she wasn't his mother but it looked to be fine considering he'd never truly had a mother to begin with.

"With this evidence I can safely say that neither Dumbledore nor any of the people in these memories will be allowed custody of you. The papers will be official in the morning however you will have to return to your current place of residence. Tomorrow either Lord or Lady Malfoy will be allowed to pick you up."

"I will handle the press that will likely swarm for answers while Cissa will pick up Silas though she will have no clue as to where he is staying." Lucius said.

Silas was slightly confused about that. Narcissa, if he remembered correctly was a Black so didn't that mean she could enter the house at will should he allow it?

"It shouldn't be that difficult." He finally chose to say.

All eyes turned to him.

"Well Narcissa--"

"Mother, dear, call me mother or Cissa if it makes you feel uncomfortable." Narcissa interjected.

Silas blushed lightly but continued.

"Mo-mother should be allowed to enter as I hold the wards to the place we are staying. I own the house so I can control the wards. However the wards will allow mother in since she is of the Black bloodline and I was named Sirius' heir."

All looked stunned at that. They'd never thought that the Order headquarters were located at one of the Black estates. Many of the Dark Lord's supporters had begun to guess where the headquarters were located but none had any idea where it could possibly be considering they weren't linked closely enough to find it. Now they had.

"Which Black estate are you using? You will also need to tell me the code in case it's under Fidelius. Since you hold the wards you should be able to do this." Narcissa enquired.

"The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix reside at number 12 Grimmauld Place, London."

Narcissa's eyes glazed over slightly before coming back into focus. She nodded in success and told them that even though she'd been there as a child she hadn't been able to remember the name or where it had been now she could which meant it had worked.

Saying a swift goodbye and thank you to Madam Westfield, the small group walked together towards the floo. They were quiet but they all needed to think about all of the information they had gained today and what they were about to gain in the future. Once there Silas turned and was hugged by both Lucius and Narcissa considering there weren't that many people around because of the late hour.

"Have a good night sleep Silas I shall be there early for you." Narcissa said before disappearing in the floo.

Silas turned towards his father who was watching him with something akin to love in his eye. Slowly Lucius placed a gloved hand caressingly on his left cheek.

"Silas soon you shall know what a true family is like. We shan't leave anything out when it comes to you. Just know that Draco will be aware of our situation when you arrive tomorrow so you won't have to explain anything to him should you not wish to do so. Goodnight son." Lucius disappeared following Narcissa.

"Good night father." Silas whispered into the night before flooing out of the Ministry and back to Grimmalud Place for a well deserved sleep.

* * *

**Yay Lucius and Cissa are finally in and next chapter Silas finally gets away! There shall be a confrontation against Silas as well from the Order. *sighs* Does he ever get a break?Obviously I'm going to be using Silas now and not Harry though the Order shall still use it.**

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**~MidnightEmber**


	6. Chapter 6

**~ Cloudier** **Sky ~**

**Warning:** This story contains Creature!Harry, Slash, Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing.

**Pairings:** Voldemort (Tom Riddle)/Harry, Severus/Lily (one-sided), Severus/Harry (one-sided), Lucius/Narcissa

**Disclaimer:** Does Voldemort survive the Final Battle? No? Then I do not own Harry Potter.

**Legend:**

_~Parseltongue~_

_Letter/Newspaper/Books_

_

* * *

_

**~ Chapter Six ~**

Silas blinked at his ceiling before the memories of the previous day came to the forefront of his mind. He was officially the son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. He had a father, a mother and a brother. Not to mention a mate that he had yet to locate. For the next few years he would live at Malfoy Manor away from Grimmauld Place and the Order of the Phoenix. It was like all his dreams had come true at once.

Harry Potter never existed. He was no longer the Boy-Who-Lived since the prophecy couldn't be about him if it were true. Only one of his parents had defied the Dark Lord three times, Lucius was still loyal to the cause something Silas didn't have a problem with though didn't support himself. Sure he had been born as the seventh month dies but he no longer had Harry Potter's signature lightning bolt scar that "marked him as the Dark Lord's equal". He wasn't even James Potter's clone anymore. He was truly Silas Araluen Malfoy.

What had him surprised though was the willingness that Lucius and Narcissa had shown in accepting him into their small family especially after everything he had caused them. They had been understanding and considerate of his past even when the abuse from Vernon had been shown. Neither of them saw that in fact they seemed anxious to show him how a true family was and not how he had lived most of his life. They actually cared about him as an individual and not the famous Boy-Who-Lived like so many others. Right now he was counting the entire thing as a blessing in disguise.

Sure he would be calling Malfoy Manor home. Sure he would have to attempt to patch things up with Draco, his brother. But it would be worth it just to live like a normal person for once in his life. A father, a mother and a brother, that was all he needed for now. It made the urge to locate his mate less which was a relief.

The urge to locate his other mate had been growing stronger since Snape had rejected him and he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to locate his mate because his now First mate was on the Dark Side. Snape had always been a spy for the Light even if he pretended to spy for the Dark. If it ever came down to the final battle, Snape would always turn his back on the Dark and that in itself left Harry filled with worry.

Snape was considered Dark by nature so what did that mean for his other mate? Well he knew that said mate was going to be much darker than anyone around his own age so he would be an adult like Snape. That fact didn't cause him much concern at all. Water Nymph's liked being protected by their mate so if he was older it would only make it easier for him to seek comfort from that. That clue was better than nothing at all.

He had nothing else to go on though. No height, weight or race. He had nothing else to help him locate his mate. Sure he could con his father into taking him into Voldemort's base so he could sniff around to see if he was there but that could turn all types of wrong especially if his mate wasn't even in Britain. Then many of them would just believe he would be snooping around for the Light even though he was getting away from them.

Silas sighed. There was nothing he could do about that currently. He would just have to accept that his family was enough for him at the point in time and if he needed to locate his mate in any hurry it wouldn't be now. With the addition of a family in his life the weather had calmed a little enough to be simply cloudy instead of rain however that wouldn't last forever and then his father would become suspicious if he didn't know already what he was. Well at least he was leaving today.

Smiling lightly, Silas decided that he probably should begin to pack since his mother would be collecting him early. That he was glad for since his "friends" probably wouldn't even let him eat off of his table now that it would be discovered he was a Malfoy and not Potter like everyone was told. He couldn't wait to see their faces even if it meant he would have to skip breakfast for a while.

Grabbing his closets pair of black slacks he pulled them on followed by a green and silver long sleeved t-shirt. Over the top he wore a plain black robe. His clothes weren't the highest of quality but they would do until Cissa noticed and attacked his wardrobe. The subsequent hours of shopping would be hell and he would be lucky to survive them. Draco would probably also help which would add to his supposed hell.

Looking around he couldn't help the eye roll. Over the past few days he hadn't been very conscious about the state of his room and now it was a complete mess. Since he couldn't use magic at all he would have to do this by hand and that would take a while to clean.

A sudden crack alerted him to Kreacher's presence.

"What is it Kreacher?" he asked while wandering around the room picking up his belongings.

"Would Master Silas be liking me's to pack his belongings?"

Silas nodded his acceptance and sat back down upon his bed as the house elf got to work. It was times like this he enjoyed being a pureblood. However this was only one obstacle he had conquered this morning. He still had to confront the Order as they ambushed him before he even left the premises not to mention evict them from his house.

There was no need for him to get far in that thought as someone began to bang rather loudly at his door. So that means they've already received their Daily Prophet, Silas thought in amusement. The knocking continued as he waited for Kreacher to finish his job before asking for him to shrink it. The trunk was placed into his robe pocket before he walked towards the door with determination. He wasn't about to let them think they had won with their badgering. No he would leave this place victorious as he had planned.

"Good morning." Silas said smiling tightly.

At his door were a very angry Molly Weasley and a disappointed Remus Lupin. Neither spoke to him as he was manhandled downstairs by Molly and dumped into a chair in the kitchen. Once he was aware of where he was he sighed. He was in an official Order meeting with every member present even those traitorous "friends" he once had. Oh the joy.

The silence in the kitchen is actually tense but Silas ignored it. He knew what was going to happen. They were going to yell then whine and complain then finish off with the disappointed speech. It was always the same when they were attempting to guilt trip him. Too bad it wasn't going to work.

The Daily Prophet was thrown down before him and he couldn't hide the smirk he felt when he saw the front page. Without having to wait he picked it up and read the article.

x-x

_The Daily Prophet_

_Potter really a Malfoy_

_By Scot Stroud_

_Yesterday at precisely five o'clock in the evening this reporter got the shock of his life as the saviour of our wizarding world arrived unattended at the Ministry of Magic. Many would think that he would have guards looking after his wellbeing what with You-Know-Who out for his life now that it has been confirmed by several sources he has been resurrected. Young Mr Potter is still in school and does not have the credentials or the skills – though some say otherwise – to defend himself against Death Eaters and the Dark Lord by himself._

_Regardless of this fact Mr Potter arrived alone and was only attended to by one escort, a Ministry employee named Everett Green. Upon greeting Mr Potter, Mr Green immediately ushered him into the trial rooms or more specifically to where he could find Madam Westfield, the Head of Department for Child Welfare. Shortly afterwards Lord and Lady Malfoy arrived and the room was sealed for three hours. At eight o'clock, Mr Potter left with Lord and Lady Malfoy and spoke before flooing back to their residence._

_It wasn't until three this morning that news of what occurred in the trial room was released to the public. The trial that the three associates attended was a Custody Trial for Mr Potter which was granted to Lord and Lady Malfoy. No one else was present at the trial for consideration so custody of Mr Potter went directly to the only two people applying for it._

_That begs the question, where were young Harry's friends and relatives?_

_It is well known that Harry Potter was given to his muggle relatives upon the death of his parents however obviously they didn't do a model job for custody to be changed to a supposed complete stranger. Then there are the Weasley's who's youngest son, Ronald, is best friends with our saviour. Where were they when this was occurring? Did they care for our saviour? What of Hermione Granger? An only child with two muggle parents, surely they could have abdicated for custody._

_Did they notice that our saviour's living conditions were poorly enough to have a custody trial? If so then why did they do nothing about it? As these questions circled I went to looking for answers and I found them in bucket loads._

_As such there has never been a Harry James Potter. You may ask what I mean. The birth of Harry Potter our young saviour was never truly who we believed he was. He may have been a Potter by legalities but he was never one biologically. It was all a cover for Silas Araluen Malfoy._

_The youngest Malfoy, born approximately two months after the Malfoy heir's birth, was hidden with his biological mother when she couldn't conceive with James Potter. With Silas' sixteenth birthday his inheritance awoke and broke the spell surrounding the clone like appearance that Silas shared with the last true Potter heir revealing him as a Malfoy though he has more of Mrs Potters appearance than he does Lord Malfoy's._

_It has been confirmed earlier this morning by Lord Malfoy himself that Silas is truly his son by the late Lillian Potter. He has claimed custody of his son who will be joining the Malfoy family for the summer before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in a month's time._

_x-x_

Smiling in satisfaction, Silas folded the paper and returned it to the table in silence. The picture on the front was of him and Lord Malfoy by the floo when they were saying farewell. It was the first picture someone had taken of him when he was his true self and he couldn't wait to take more since he still didn't recognize himself in the mirror each morning.

The only thing he still recognized was his eyes everything else had changed. The bone structure belonged to the Malfoy family while he had his mother's small stature and hair colour. He believed that someone from the Order might have noticed but no one so far had and he liked keeping it that way. No longer looking like a Potter clone was pure bliss and the Order was only going to make him change that if they had spotted it. Oh well he was leaving what did he care?

Suddenly the silence was broken by the Order.

"Harry James Potter what do you think you are attempting to pull by doing this? You are a Potter not a Malfoy! How could you have changed your appearance to suit this crazy idea? Come I'm sure we can remove the spells that have been placed on you and you can continue to look like your original self." Molly Weasley practically shouted across the table at him.

"Poor child he's probably under the Imperius Curse and doesn't even realize that he looks different at all." Tonks muttered.

Moody was next to speak, "Malfoy is probably behind it all on orders from his master. Kid probably never even thought to look behind him when he was wandering around the muggle neighbourhood. CONSTANT VIGILANCE, I always say but no one ever listens to me."

By this time Molly had pulled him over to her and had attempted to remove the spells he was under including breaking the Imperius Curse however much to her shock they simply wouldn't break. It didn't even occur to her that he wasn't under any spell and that perhaps this was the real him. All it mattered to the Order was that he was somehow leaving them to be with the Malfoy's. As far as they were concerned, "Harry" had been cursed unknowingly and they were going to rescue him.

"Albus they won't come off him!" she screeched causing many in the room Silas included to cringe.

Silas sat there as a group of supposed experts who included Snape, Moody, Bill, Kingsley, Dumbledore and Molly all crowded around him shooting of curses that should have removed all spells covering him. He didn't need to actually take part in anything they did all he wanted was to collect as much information on the Order as possible now that he was actively taking part in a meeting though he was the focus.

Since all the members were present to try and rectify the crime that had been committed against their saviour he could make note of who was there and then pass it over to his father to help him in the only way he actually knew without actually speaking to the Dark Lord. He just wasn't ready for that.

There was Tonks, Moody, Kingsley, Diggle from the Ministry though there were several younger Aurors, probably trainee's, that were also present. They had probably been accepted into the Auror program straight out of Hogwarts they were that young and easy to pick up. Their names weren't all that important since it was unlikely they actually did much at all so he could discover them later with the aid of his father to pinpoint their names.

From Hogwarts it appeared almost every teacher was present. McGonagall sat at the end of the table with Lupin, Sprout, Flitwick, Trelawney, Hagrid, Vector and Sinistra. They were all gathered and looked as if they were discussing the possibility that this was actually what he looked like. Wow someone actually believed him maybe he should reward them somehow. Snape would probably award him points for that sarcasm filled line.

Then there were the numerous children that were in the Order though Dumbledore had always said they wouldn't be allowed. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all sat near the front where the more important members sat. It was obvious their job was one to do with him. Next would be the remainder of the Weasley's excluding Percy and the twins. The twins were siding with him like he'd always known however Percy was another matter entirely. He had deserted his family and no one knew where his loyalties lie. Was it the Ministry, Light or even the Dark?

Silas sighed as the poking and prodding the wands began to get too much even for him and he snarled at them while the lightning outside added to the menacing affect so much they all stood back in shock. It was Molly that spoke first.

"It's no use Albus. We have tried everything but there is nothing that will break through those spells!" Molly said.

Silas smirked and then asked the one question that silenced everyone.

"Did it ever occur to you that what was written in the Daily Prophet was the truth?"

It was the truth after all. Every single word printed had been the truth and the Order was simply in denial. They would have to acknowledge that eventually the sooner the better in Silas' opinion.

"My boy what do mean?" Albus said in his wonderfully deceiving grandfather voice.

"It's the truth. Mother couldn't have children because James, her First mate, was infertile by the time they decided they wanted children. Since it was my mother that I inherited the creature blood from she was the one that could still have children. In need, she turned to her Second mate who agreed to help sire her child. That person was Lucius Malfoy. They had planned to use a blood ritual when I turned two to truly make me a Potter but as everyone in the wizarding world knows they died before that could happen leaving me, Silas Araluen Malfoy, the biological son of Lucius Malfoy and Lillian Potter." Silas explained

Molly huffed in annoyance obviously she didn't understand what was being explained. But of course what could you expect from someone who knew nothing of Pureblood society or creature inheritance. Considering Light families were only Light due to the fact that they only married either other witches/wizards or muggles it left them weakening their bloodlines. The Dark preferred to either marry one of their own or into creature families. This strengthened the magic in the blood preserving the bloodlines and also negating the nasty effect that incest had.

"That doesn't explain why you looked like a Potter clone." Snape sneered.

Silas found himself momentarily lost in his obsidian eyes but shock it off. He wouldn't go down that road it would only lead to more pain than he could currently handle.

"James and mother fed me a potion when I was a newborn to hide the fact I was a Malfoy until they could use the Blood Ritual. It broke when I came into my creature inheritance. Therefore I truly look like this. I don't have any spells on me and I'm certainly not under any spells to begin with!"

"Then why are you willingly going to leave with the Malfoy scum?" Ron shouted.

Silas sighed. He knew that would be a weak spot for Ron but he didn't care the traitor could go and jump off a bridge for all he cared. His family loved him and that was all that mattered to the Nymph.

"We can treat you much better here Harry dear. So there is no need for you to leave the house." Molly said.

Silas let out a bark laugh sounding shockingly like Sirius before he glared at them all.

"Treat me better? Is that what you believe you are doing? If so then I want to be as far away from you as possible. You didn't treat me any better; you treated me like dirt beneath your shoe. Everyone has changed since Siri's death. Sure he died but that wasn't my fault and you all act as though it was. Sirius willingly chose to come after me and save my life by putting his at risk. But this knowledge doesn't change the fact that I miss him every day. That I grieve for his loss every single day. He was the only one out of all of you that I could say truly cared for me."

"I have accepted that you however none of you have accepted that. You all pin the blame on me when you know that if you actually thought harder about it we could blame just about everyone in the room. You could blame Snape for not alerting me to the fact that he would contact Siri or Dumbledore for ignoring me the entire year. Merlin you could even blame Bellatrix the one person that actually drove Siri to his death."

Silas glare increased in ferocity as he surveyed them all. They were all staring at him in shock as if he'd never ranted before in his life. It was sad they still didn't know him even after six years.

"But no you're happy to place all of the blame onto me. You ignore me when you should talk to me and speak through differences. You shun me and make me out to be a killer when I've never taken a life before. You call me dangerous when all of you know that Voldemort is after me. I am isolate every year for two months in a muggle residence that I don't even relate to by blood though the wards so otherwise. None of you truly know me and it is that reason alone that has pushed me into this."

Everyone was looking at him as if he had just destroyed their hopes and dreams. In a way he guessed that he had. They no longer had a weapon that would willingly destroy the Dark Lord for them anymore and he wasn't about to let them push him around just to do it.

"You've had friends and family even if they weren't truly your own what more could you ask for?" Remus snarled.

Silas shook his head. The werewolf was obviously suffering from the loss of his pack member but if he had truly looked harder he would have seen that Silas was still a member of his pack because of his creature inheritance. However he couldn't look past the fact that Silas had "killed" Sirius or that he was no longer a Potter.

"Every year they abused me. I'm not telling you details because you don't need to know and if you truly want to you can just go and search at the house yourself. Their memories will show you what I have been through. It will show you that I have never had a loving family like Dumbledore planned. I never had friends in both primary school and now Hogwarts. Primary school because I was the subject for my cousins constant bullying and Hogwarts because they were chosen for me. So yes do tell me that I have had a life of a celebrity." Silas said sadly.

His Nymph ached at the thought of his "friends and family" which he never truly had but he could get away from all of that by concentrating on his true family. Everything would be alright soon. He would be able to get away from all of this pain and torture.

The group that surrounded him had gone from suddenly knowing him to not in the span of a few minutes and they didn't know how that had happened. Everything that they had believed was crashing down around them. They were losing Harry and they needed to get him back perhaps then they could plea for a change in his custody.

"Why didn't you speak to us then? We could have done something to change what happened. Arthur and I could have taken you in and raised you alongside Ron." Molly asked.

Silas couldn't help it he snorted. They were blind. They were truly blind if they couldn't see the flaw in that approach.

"The first flaw in that are the supposed blood wards that Dumbledore set up. He wouldn't have placed me with someone who wasn't related to me by blood because he needed someone sharing my blood for the wards to work. That now has obvious flaws in itself because I'm not actually related to the Dursley's anymore. Then there is the fact that Dumbledore knew as soon as I walked through the doors at the Sorting Ceremony that I perhaps wasn't as happy as I was at my "home". Of course that was proved later when Madam Pomfrey scanned me and found in first year that I was malnourished."

The group was openly staring at Dumbledore now. He had made many mistakes in raising Harry but this was simply too much. Many knew that abuse in the wizarding world wasn't tolerate and very rare if it ever occurred. Even then it only presented in those that weren't from pureblood families. If it was ever known what truly occurred to their saviour many would turn on Dumbledore and he couldn't possibly have that.

"I admit I have made a few mistakes in taking care of your wellbeing but everything I did was for the greater good of the wizarding world. You had to remain there but if I had known that you weren't related to them I would have found another alternative for you." Dumbledore placated.

"You knew and you did nothing to help me. So what if you'd discovered it earlier what would you have done? You wouldn't have left me with a wizarding family. You would have left me with another muggle family or perhaps you would make the same mistake you did with Tom and left him in an orphanage instead of moving him elsewhere." Silas said shaking his head.

He knew that Dumbledore even with this knowledge would still have left him with his relatives. That information wouldn't have changed anything in his mind at all. If he hadn't moved Tom after seeing for himself that his life at the orphanage wasn't excellent then he wouldn't have removed Harry from his relatives.

"What of other people who could have taken you in when you attended this custody trial with the Malfoy's? Surely there was someone else that you could have allowed to have your guardianship." Moody asked in fierce tones.

To these people anyone would have been better than the Malfoy's as long as it wasn't someone on the Dark side. They could have been neutral for all they cared as long as it was someone they could persuade to their side. Taking a breath Silas replied apathetically.

"There were only two other people in this room eligible to take me in when it came to the Malfoy's custody trial. One was Remus Lupin who was named by godfather after the death of Sirius Black. The reason I didn't choose him was because ever since Siri died he has ignored me instead of trying to help each other past this. The other was Severus Snape who was my first mate but seeing as he unknowingly rejected me he turned into the second and now I have to locate my first mate all over again and hope that he doesn't reject me as well."

The silence was astounding though Silas wished for an interruption because he didn't like the look Dumbledore was giving him. They all knew now that Snape was one of his mates and if his other mate rejected him or if Snape made up for the pain he had caused he could mate with Snape and be stuck forever with the Light regardless of his father. With surprisingly good timing the door bell rang and set of Walburga Black. Silas smiled.

"If you would excuse me I have to get that."

Standing he left the silent room and walked towards the front door where Kreacher was excitedly allowing Narcissa inside before closing the door on the bleak weather outside. Upon noticing Silas she immediately embraced him not caring that her Aunt was screaming away in the background having not noticed that it wasn't one of the "mudbloods or blood traitors".

"It is good to see you again mother though I do apologize for the state of the house. I would explain however I want to leave as soon as possible." Silas said stepping back.

"Of course Silas, we shall depart as soon as I have a few words with your house guests."

"Kreacher so you remember the orders I gave you for cleaning the house when I was gone?"

The house elf nodded happily. He'd ordered for the entire house to be restored to its original condition. Of course the house was currently looking very poorly since Kreacher had gone insane when he didn't have a master to order around and then the one that returned had been someone who hadn't cared for the house so it wasn't in pristine condition. That would change once Silas evicted the Order though. Perhaps they could use the house on occasion then. Narcissa had finally caught the attention of Walburga who immediately quietened.

"Oh my dear it has been a while since I have last laid eyes on you. Look at you doing our name proud and you have welcomed this young lad, the heir to the Black and Potter fortune, into your house regardless of the fact that he isn't truly related to you."

"Aunt you forget that I was close to Lily and I am Silas' rightful godmother unlike that Longbottom. I will continue to raise him as a proper heir of any pureblood household should." Narcissa replied.

Seeing that she meant it, Walburga returned to her being quiet. No one had shut the curtains so if one of the others left the kitchen she would yell at them but not at Silas or Narcissa.

"Come I must speak to your house guests before you evict them. I believe it would be well worth it for the memory."

Silas smiled. Yes it would be worth it so he led her into the kitchen which was still silent after his last outburst. They were shocked even more when Narcissa entered the room led by Silas.

"Silas dear what did you tell them to seal them up like this?" Cissa enquired.

"Well mother I told them why Remus Lupin and Severus Snape couldn't gain custody of me and they have been like that ever since though I do believe that your presence has also stunned them though I can imagine why as you do attract quite a bit of attention." Silas answered finally snapping them all out of their trance.

"I can understand the werewolf but why Severus dear?"

"He was my first mate however he unknowingly rejected me. I won't speak more until we are away from here but I promise that I will tell you and father everything that I can."

Narcissa easily accepted that and turned towards the gathered group eyeing each as if they were far below her. Technically they were since none of them had as much wealth or prestige as the Malfoy family but they already knew it so there wasn't any point in rubbing it in.

"What have you come here for Lady Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes Narcissa why are you here? More importantly how did you enter this house when it is beneath the Fidelius Charm?" Snape demanded.

Narcissa didn't even bother sitting since they were leaving and it would also be more enjoyable to watch them all be evicted whilst standing.

"Silas is the reason actually. He holds all of the wards surrounding this house so he may tell anyone where it is he lives. Also since I am a member of the Black family it makes it easier again as the house accepts me. Of course I'm not permitted of speaking where the house is to others but that won't stop Silas from doing the same. Now as to why I am here. I am here to take Silas back to his rightful home, Malfoy Manor."

That caused an immediate uproar. Many were shouting that he was at home and that he needn't leave yet they both knew the truth. The Light didn't want him leaving to stay with a family that were supporting the Dark. Not like they had a choice in the matter.

"I would like to inform you that you are all evicted from the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black and that unless you are permitted you aren't to step foot on the property again." Silas said.

The instant the words were spoken all of them were forcefully apparrated out of the house to some other location. Silas wasn't sure where exactly but he knew it wasn't' pleasant since normally those evicted were traitors or generally people the family didn't like. He preferred it that way though since it wouldn't be likely that they would speak to him for a while afterwards. Silas had to smile at that. No Order that was always an added bonus.

"I believe we can leave now." Silas said.

"Shall we floo or apparrate?"

"I think we should floo. I haven't apparrated before even side-long but I'm sure I'm not going to like it." Silas answered.

"Alright but you should know that you will have to learn and if it makes you feel any better, Lucius finds apparrating easily so did your mother."

Silas grabbed a handful of floo powder before smiling joyfully at Narcissa. He always loved learning more about his parents no matter what it was. He nodded before flooing out not bothering to look back at the place he believed to be a prison. Freedom awaited him.

* * *

**Another chapter!** **If you want me to focus more on updating this story then go to my profile and vote on the poll to boost your favourite stories. I'll spend more of my time updating the top four. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**~MidnightEmber**


	7. Chapter 7

**~ Cloudier** **Sky ~**

**Warning:**This story contains Creature!Harry, Slash, Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing.

**Pairings:**Voldemort (Tom Riddle)/Harry, Severus/Lily (one-sided), Severus/Harry (one-sided), Lucius/Narcissa

**Disclaimer:**Does Voldemort survive the Final Battle? No? Then I do not own Harry Potter.

**Legend:**

_~Parseltongue~_

_Letter/Newspaper/Books_

* * *

**~ Chapter Seven ~**

Silas walked calmly through Malfoy Manor. He'd never been here before and he'd never attempted to imagine it but now he could see that idea had been pointless as Malfoy Manor was luxurious. The manor was even grander than he believed Hogwarts was and since he considered Hogwarts his home that was saying something.

Malfoy Manor was completely made of stone outside and marble inside to give it an ancient look though it wasn't as old as Hogwarts. Portraits of relatives and numerous decorative pieces lined the walls while ever glowing candelabras kept the hallways lit perfectly casting eerie shadows across the hall. His Nymph purred in satisfaction at being somewhere he could actually call home rather than a prison. The weather outside noticeably brightened with his contentment.

Narcissa led him into the parlour where both Lucius and Draco were waiting for them. They stood when they entered the room and Silas breathed deeply ignoring the worry in his mind at his brother's reaction. He had turned down Draco's hand at friendship when they were eleven and he did regret it now that he was older and more mature but what would Draco do? Would they continue to argue over the simplest of things or would they attempt a friendship?

Silas knew that petty arguments were a part of sibling behaviour from watching the Weasley's but he didn't think he wanted that with Draco not when they argued nearly every day for the past six years. That was too much for him to handle. No he wanted Draco to accept him exactly like his parents had.

Tensing when Draco began to walk near him he gathered his emotions preparing to hide them beneath a mask should he get rejected this time rather than the other way around. He wouldn't be able to hide what his emotions caused the weather to do but he could hide what his face revealed as his emotions. What he didn't expect was for Draco to move towards him and envelope him in a welcoming hug.

Silas blinked in confusion before wrapping his arms tentatively around Draco. He'd never actually hugged anyone before since many people were more comfortable gaving him congratulatory pats on the back instead but Draco didn't seem to notice his awkwardness in receiving the hug. After a few short minutes he stepped back but kept his hands on Silas' shoulders.

"I always knew there was a reason I wanted to be friends with you." Draco said smugly causing Silas to laugh.

He was still a pompous git even around family, figures. It was something in Draco that wasn't likely to change and Silas enjoyed that quality in Draco. He may act like he owned the world but to him it was all for a laugh later when he'd enjoyed annoying people. Drac enjoyed to rile people up causing them to make fools of themselves and it wasn't likely to cease now that he had a brother. It was a part of who he was as a person.

Silas left Draco's embrace to sit beside Lucius and across from Narcissa. Draco chose to sit on Silas' other side like the protective brother he wanted to have. It felt wonderful to finally have a family to call his own and he revelled in the protective aura that surrounded the room.

"Silas we have much we wanted to explain to you and so much we have to ask but we don't know where to begin." Narcissa spoke.

He nodded. There were a lot of questions he had as well so he decided to begin. "I suppose the main thing I desire to know is why I was left with the Dursley's if you knew who I truly was?"

Lucius sighed. He knew this would be one of the things Silas needed to hear from them personally.

"The day after the Halloween attack when the Daily Prophet reported what had occurred well what they believed had occurred due to Dumbledore's assumptions it was noted that he had taken you to a safe location away from the Wizarding World. I knew that wasn't what would have been written in Lily's Will so I went to see anyone I could do anything to change that fact but without legal documentation stating that you were biologically my son I could do nothing to remove you from their grasp."

"We weren't even allowed to view Lily or James' Will either because they had been locked up by Dumbledore. He was the only one who read them and told everyone else afterwards that what he had done was by the will of Lily and James Potter when everyone who was close to them knew it wasn't true but couldn't argue with the all powerful Dumbledore." Narcissa continued.

Silas nodded in understanding. It was hard to get away from Dumbledore's influence and the only way he got out was by having family members on the Dark side. To actually undermine Dumbledore without any legal proof was already a failed plan of action because Dumbledore made the rules most of the time and everyone listened to them.

"What about all the times we met throughout the years? What did that mean?"

Draco perked up at this. It was one of the few things he could explain. He could explain why he had acted like a bully throughout the years. Maybe then he would be able to patch up some of the misunderstanding they had between them.

"After our first meeting in Madam Malkins I told father. He immediately knew that it was you, that it was Harry Potter and he instructed me to befriend you. At the time I hadn't been told that you were in fact related to me so I just acted as I always did. But then you rejected me." Draco couldn't help the bitterness in his tone at that but Silas understood.

Draco had received everything he wanted at that age and to be rejected was something he'd never had to deal with before until then. It was new to him and he hadn't known what to do. Silas regretted that moment every day. If he had taken Draco's hand then he probably could have been away from the Dursley's even sooner. He could have had a proper family growing up.

"I wrote father after that and explained what happened. So he told me to do the next best thing to remain close to you. He instructed me to be your enemy, your rival, in everything that you did so I would always be there so I wouldn't be forgotten. That way father would always be close no matter what."

Silas smiled at that. It was just like Draco to do anything to get what he wanted and if that meant being a rival just to be close to him that was what he would do.

"In second year when I sent that diary to Hogwarts via the Weasley girl I ordered Dobby to take care of you. He was definitely a little unorthodox in his approach and I did punish him for using bludgers and blocking the barrier to get you to go home. Of course I had to put on an act when you freed him from me because then I knew he could spend more time looking after you. In fourth year I felt it only fair to warn you of what was going to happen as did Draco. By then he knew what was occurring and who you truly were since Draco could tell that it was one of the Malfoy house elves saving you in second year. He warned you of the danger of being seen with the mudblood who would be tortured if seen while remaining in character."

Lucius looked down at his hands then showing his vulnerability to Silas. It was a common occurrence in families and Silas knew that he had truly been accepted into their small close-knit family.

"In the graveyard I was so petrified. I knew that the Dark Lord was returning, everyone with the Dark Mark could tell that he was growing in strength but when I saw you tied to the headstone I didn't know what to do. You were there and my master was there but there wasn't a thing I could do. I couldn't prove that you were my son instantly if he asked and you didn't know. All I could do was stand and pray that you would get away with your life even if it meant that I would be punished for it."

Silas lay his hand on his father's arm.

"You didn't know what was going to happen no one did. The ghost of mother helped me to escape as did James. You saw that, you know that. I also know that if it looked like I was about to die you would have spoken up. You are loyal to family even if they do act like pompous snobs." Silas smiled as Draco poked him in the side for that comment.

Lucius managed to compose himself after that while Draco spent the time teasing Silas with Narcissa watching over them with a sparkle of joy in her eyes. It had been so long since their family had felt complete.

"Silas I must ask why did you contact me? You could have simply let Dumbledore take care of everything and returned to be Harry Potter."

Lucius was shocked when both Silas and Draco shot him incredulous looks.

"Father have you even realized how bipolar the Light and the Wizarding World in general is to the Boy-Who-Lived, icon of Light Wizards everywhere?" Draco asked. "One second he's this hero who can do no wrong and then he's a maniac who's no different from the Dark Lord. No sees the boy beneath the image."

Silas nodded. "It's true. They really are fickle when it comes to what I do. This past summer as you may have seen none of the Order spoke to me unless it was necessary and that was mostly to question me or order me around. They all blamed me for Sirius' death when I had nothing to do with it. Merlin they thought you had me under the Imperius Curse because I had allowed you to take custody of me."

"It's no wonder why you would have chosen an unknown over that. I must admit that it was pretty tense when I arrived this morning." Narcissa commented.

He grimaced when he was reminded of that. If he ever saw them again it would be too soon.

"Silas when you told them that your mate was Severus I realized you didn't tell them what magical being you were. It was almost as if you didn't desire them to know what you were. Why is that?" Cissa continued.

It had bothered her that Silas was keeping that a secret. She wanted to help her stepson in every way possible and that was definitely one of them. All she could hope was that it wasn't such a huge secret that Silas had to bear the burden on his own.

Silas shifted in is seat. He knew that was one of the things he would have to speak about but his mother had told him never to speak of it to anyone until he found his mate. The only problem with that was he needed his father's help to get inside the Dark Sect headquarters so he could sniff around to see whether any of them were potential candidates to be his mate. He knew that his First mate was part of the Dark Sect upon his instincts alone and there was the problem. His mate would be a part of the Inner Circle considering his age. Meaning he definitely needed help.

"Mother wrote in her journal and letters that it was unwise to tell anyone before I had located my mate. The only problem is that I located one of my mates and have found him to be inadequate because of his instant rejection. That leaves me in quite a predicament. I know that since Severus is my Light mate that my other mate is from the Dark meaning they are obviously quite dark. It leads me to believe that they are more than likely in the Dark Lord's Inner Circle in which case I need your help."

"I'm unsettled at having to reveal this to you before I locate my next mate however it is necessary to keep myself protected when I return to Hogwarts and the influence of the Light, Dumbledore and Snape." Silas breathed deeply calming his nerves as he spoke aloud his secret. "The inheritance my mother bestowed upon me is the blood of a Water Nymph."

The others instantly knew the repercussions of revealing that little secret. Silas was obviously placing a lot of faith in them if he was willing to say what he was. A Water Nymph was rare and as such only told their mate and their children if they showed the same signs because the Black Market paid a high price to obtain such a exceptional creature.

As silence encased the room Silas couldn't help but shift in place. He was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this and the weather outside reflected it. Rain fell heavily upon the windows making it difficult to hear anything else. He knew that he should have kept this information a secret. Water Nymphs were just too valuable. However he had placed his trust in his newfound family and prayed that trust wasn't misplaced in the slightest otherwise he would have to run from them and the Wizarding World.

Narcissa noticing the worry cross Silas' face moved to kneel before him. "Relax Silas dear we won't be using this information against you. The Malfoy family has its own fair share of secrets in its bloodline that we don't desire spread around either."

Silas had known that to be the case he just hadn't figured what exactly ran through their veins. The information however had its desired effect and he began to calm. The rain was only a light shower now. Lucius took Silas' hand so he would turn his attention towards him.

"Yes the Malfoy line has always had Fey blood flowing through its veins and it acts much like the Nymph blood which cleanses the blood around the sixteenth birthday to make sure that anything keeping the heir of the house ill is destroyed leaving only the Fey blood. Everyone from the Malfoy bloodline goes through the transition however unlike the Nymph blood the Fey only have the one mate and we get to choose them based on our own personal requirements." He explained.

Silas pouted. It was unfair that the Fey blood couldn't have been inherited instead of his Nymph blood. Then perhaps he wouldn't have to cause this much fuss. Draco laughed at the kicked puppy look his brother was showing. They all knew that it would be hard to accept but there was nothing they could do about it now. Everything was all finalized according to Silas' blood and now all he needed to complete the transition was his mate.

"Be thankful that you can choose between Severus and your other mate. Some creatures only get the one and they have to make do with that one for the remainder of their lives." Draco joked attempting to make him feel better.

At least it caused Silas to smile faintly and lean into his side comfortingly. Lucius watched them with a pleased smile on his face. He was glad that they could get along well. It meant that he would have one less thing to worry about when his sons returned to Hogwarts in a month's time. There Silas would have to face many people from the Light including his . . . mate . . .

"Wait you told us that Severus Snape was your _Light_ mate." Lucius suddenly realized.

Silas cringed he'd forgotten that they knew nothing of Snape's truly allegiance but nodded all the same perhaps he could get the bastard punished for something to make himself feel better for the slip.

"He truly is a spy for the Light. Every meeting he returns with more information on you and Dumbledore orders him to only reveal a small amount of what the Order is truly planning. He wasn't always light orientated. There was a time when he was in Hogwarts that he was friends with my mother. I'm guessing that his turning to the Light had something to do with that however i have no idea how." Silas answered.

Lucius eyes narrowed at that. This spy, this bastard that played both sides like toys was his son's mate. There was no way he would allow his son to be taken away from them by a spy who was loyal to the Light. A solution appeared to him yet he knew that Silas wouldn't like it.

"Silas there may be a solution to your problem but it would mean that I would have to speak to the Dark Lord of your creature inheritance. I would have to tell him exactly what you are probably in front of the other Inner Circle. Am I allowed to do that if I can guarantee you that you won't have to put handle Severus again?" Lucius questioned.

Silas looked at his father warily. He truly didn't like that plan. It would mean that Severus found out what he was and then he would tell the Order of the Phoenix but if it allowed him space from Snape he was more than willing to give it a try. Slowly he nodded. He would do anything to keep that slime ball away from him and if he also gained his other mate through that then he was more than willing to try.

Draco who understood what his father was planning was less than thrilled. He didn't like the fact that Silas wasn't being told everything. He knew his father planned to get Silas in a situation that had him surrounded by all the Inner Circle males. He would be aiding in Silas' search and both knew that Silas Nymph side might not appreciate that at all considering he had been wary of telling them of the inheritance.

Lucius however was only doing what his fatherly instincts thought was right and protecting his son by hopefully gaining his mate. If Silas' mate wasn't present at headquarters then he was more than happy to take a sabbatical from work to aid Silas in his search especially since that meant he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts.

"Very well we have a meeting sometime this afternoon. I'll bring this issue up with the Dark Lord when he calls."

Everyone nodded their acceptance. It was the safest option they had at the moment that assured Silas happiness and protection. Sure some of them weren't happy about the plan but they didn't really have any other option at the moment.

"Silas will your house elves be joining us?" Cissa enquired moving the conversation away from the subject altogether.

Silas blinked. He hadn't really thought of that at all.

"Kreacher will probably remain at Grimmauld Place for awhile until it is clean and even then he will return every weekend to check that everything is alright. Dobby will definitely return however he may bring someone with him as well." He answered immediately thinking of Winky.

She was a good house elf she just didn't like not belonging to a family. Her time at Hogwarts revealed that much to Silas. All she did all day was spend her time drinking butterbeer and sleeping. It wasn't good for an elf to do such so hopefully when Dobby returned with Winky she would welcome the bond formed with the family.

"What is the house elf like?" Lucius asked curiously.

"She was Barty Crouch Senior's last house elf. Winky is really hard working however she has a thing against Dark Wizards. I'm not sure whether she meant Dark magic or wizards who commit evil crimes." Silas answered while thinking.

He'd always contributed Winky's drinking to the fact that she didn't have a bond to a family anymore but what if it was more than that? What if Winky didn't like being in the castle because of the other wizards that she believed was Dark?

"We'll just have to wait and see then. Call them."

"Dobby, Silas Malfoy needs you." Silas called knowing that if he just called the name then Dobby wouldn't know where to go.

The instant Dobby appeared he squealed and clung to Silas' legs like a lifeline. Silas blushed as his family laughed at his misfortune.

"Dobby been wondering when Young Master Silas was going to call. Now he has! Dobby even brought Winky with him! Winky does not like workings at Hogwarts says there are too many bad wizards she does! Dobby is agreeing with her! There are many bad wizards who would hurt Young Master Silas!" Dobby ranted.

Silas sighed while the remainder of his family attempted to regain some decorum. Instead of listening to Dobby he turned his attention towards Winky who was at least sober for this meeting.

"Winky would you like to bond with my family?" he asked quietly as the others carried on.

Winky widened her eyes and looked at the family.

"Winky . . . Winky is not wanting to bond with the family. Winky is wanting to bond with Young Master Silas like Dobby is doing. Winky is knowing that Master Silas is a more caring master than his family."

Silas nodded his head in acceptance though he was glad that his family hadn't been listening and felt her magic join a small thread that connected to him via his other house elves. Now he had three house elves that listened to him alone, Dobby, Winky and Kreacher. Finally he realized that his family were calm enough to speak.

"What shall you do for the remainder of the day?" Lucius questioned.

"I'm going to take him to our tailors and have his wardrobe stocked for everything and anything he may need. Just looking at what those pathetic muggles made him wear is horrendous! It must change as soon as possible." Narcissa commented with passion.

Silas couldn't overcome the feeling that he shouldn't have agreed to this. Shopping was definitely not something he desired to do . . . EVER!

x-x-x-x-x

Narcissa and Silas had been shopping for an hour and a half when Lucius and Draco felt the burn that signalled the call of the Dark Lord. As swiftly as they could they summoned their cloaks and left the Malfoy wards so they could apparate to the Dark Lord's manor in Little Hangleton.

As usual they were one of the first arrivals and immediately took their rightful place in the Dark Lord's ranks waiting patiently for the others to show. Lucius being in the Inner Circle stood in the front row with Draco standing dutifully behind him. When Severus arrived to stand by their side they couldn't help the sneers that graced their faces. Luckily their masks still blocked them from view.

The reports were as usual lack lustre in their points and didn't get any real attention from their master who was sitting patiently upon his throne. He was far from the majestic appearance he once had in his youth yet now he was more striking in his appearance.

After the initial ritual wore off, Voldemort's appearance had begun to change with his returning strength. His skin had remained pale yet no longer had any scales. Scarlet eyes still blinked down upon them much like a snake. His brown hair flecked grey fell down to his shoulder blades and was tied back with a black leather band. He was lithe but no longer looked simply like skin and bones. Thankfully his ears and nose had returned as well making him appear more human than snake yet still managed to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. It was probably one of the reasons Severus hadn't defected to his beloved Light yet, Lucius thought scowling.

The next person to report was Severus and the Malfoy's found them holding their breath just not to attack the traitor where he stood. He would pay in time but now wasn't it.

"My Lord the Potter brat has left the Order in total chaos after this morning's shocking news." Severus began.

"What news would that be?" Voldemort drawled in a bored tone.

"It appears my Lord as if Potter is in fact a Malfoy by blood and has a creature inheritance. Just this morning Potter was removed from Order headquarters by Narcissa Malfoy who shouldn't have been able to enter the premises without Dumbledore's consent. Then before the Order was even allowed to speak of this the brat controlled the wards and forcefully apparrated the entire group into a marsh located in Sweden. It took most of the day to simply find everyone." Severus snarled slightly.

He hadn't enjoyed attempting to pull people from the marsh only to be dragged in constantly himself. Voldemort however had a contemplative look on his face that normally he didn't even bother to reveal to his subordinates.

"Is there any other news from the Order?"

"No my Lord the Order only just returned to Britain after their trip to the marsh."

Voldemort nodded and allowed Severus to step back while Lucius couldn't help the sneer that crossed his face when Severus glanced towards him. Lucius knew that Severus was practically begging him not to speak anymore of Silas' inheritance than the Dark Lord already knew to protect himself. However Lucius didn't believe Severus completely understood the severity of his actions.

"Lucius come forward and explain to me why you have taken in young Silas that is his name I believe?"

Lucius stepped forward eagerly. The Dark Lord wasn't upset that Lucius had taken in his son. No he was curious and the longer Lucius kept Voldemort curious the better chance he would have of getting Silas a look at the Inner Circle and possibly his mate.

"My Lord he is my son. Even if he was birthed by a Light loving fool he is still by blood however I know for a fact that Silas will never return to the Light who he once followed. He will remain by the side of the Malfoy family if he chooses to side with anyone in the future."

"What makes you so positive?"

"I respectfully refuse to go into details for they aren't my experiences to tell however during the custody trial last evening my wife and I discovered abuse both muggle and magical. The muggles were both physically and emotionally abusive while the magical were only emotionally abusive. He has no desire to return to either environment."

Voldemort's eyes flashed in warning and Lucius thought for a moment that he had said something unsavoury however he soon realized his master was reacting to the abuse that Silas had suffered and not towards the person themselves. He had to breathe a small sigh of relief at that.

Voldemort was inwardly seething. He had known all of this but it was harsher coming from one of his followers. He had read this morning that Potter now Silas Malfoy hadn't been treasured because of his value to the Light. Instead he had been just as shunned as Tom himself had been when he had gone to Hogwarts. If that didn't scream that there was something wrong with the "Light" then he didn't know what did. Now if he could get Silas to join him then many would jump allegiances just to be with their ex-saviour. Perhaps the answer to his plan was in the inheritance Snape mentioned?

"Severus mentioned that he had a creature inheritance was that carried from you or his . . . mother?"

Lucius glanced at Severus who looked back at him. There was no way he could avoid explaining this and yet he didn't want Severus to discover what Silas was considering that he would probably just go and tell the Order. However since he couldn't possibly ignore his master he had to speak. He would just have to keep his son from Hogwarts until he discovered his other mate.

"Silas is a Water Nymph my Lord and he is searching for his First mate. He's already discovered his Second and has no desire to be with him. If he doesn't locate him here then I would like to request that I aid in his search."

The Death Eaters began to mumble amongst themselves. A Water Nymph was highly sought after and explained the strange weather they'd been having this past summer. Many of the Outer Circle desired to see Silas for them to test whether or not they could be his mate. Having a Nymph as a mate especially that of the son of Lucius Malfoy would be very influential however when they caught Lucius cold glare they quietened.

Voldemort caught all of this immediately and began to create a situation in his head to help test the young Malfoy. It would be beneficial for everyone if Silas' mate was high ranking to avoid the younger followers.

"What does he know of his mates?" he questioned.

"Silas knows that Severus Snape is his Second however he ruined that by rejecting him before Silas had a chance to speak to him. He tells me that his other mate is definitely supporting the Dark and is likely one of your Inner Circle if he is in Britain. The mate would also be adult since Silas says their protective abilities would be higher in an adult than a say an adolescent and that is one of the qualities that a Nymph's mate will always have."

"He?"

Lucius nodded. "Yes. Water Nymphs are always submissive regardless of gender leaving it possible for only another male to be dominant since females can't get a submissive male pregnant."

Many of the males openly leered at that thought. Since the majority that weren't married were gay it wouldn't be a problem for them to have Silas as a mate though Lucius would never allow them openly into the family.

"If you could bring him here for some reason or another I'm positive that I could arrange to have the Inner Circle tested first and if no results come from that then I shall arrange to have every adult male in the Outer Circle tested in time."

"Thank you my Lord that is very generous of you." Lucius said meaning every word.

It wasn't every day that the Dark Lord himself gave time to help with your personal problems. It seemed that Voldemort had taken an interest in Silas and it wouldn't likely end after he discovered his mate. For that Lucius was thankful.

"You said that his First mate would be here in one of my Circles correct?"

"Yes my Lord."

It was obvious to everyone in the room that something huge had just been answered even though Voldemort merely nodded his head in thought. Anyone who knew how to read people would know this answer spelt doom for one person.

Voldemort had been swift in realizing that while both of Silas Malfoy's mates were in his Circle one of them wasn't meant to be. He knew that a Nymph had two mates to choose from, one dark and one light. In this situation however it meant that one of his men was dark and the other was a spy. Now all that remained was for Silas to locate his other mate for him to know immediately who was loyal and who was not. It would take time and until then he would be careful with whom he spoke his plans to.

"I shall call you when I have arranged a suitable time for Silas to check out the members of my Inner Circle. Your cover shall be that you are returning a borrowed item and leave him in the library to do so saying that it is a neutral zone. I will then have my Inner Circle enter at different times and remain in different parts. That should help and give the others more information on him."

Lucius bowed deeply before the Death Eaters were told to leave for the day. With that task complete he could safely tell Narcissa that Silas would locate his mate in time to return to Hogwarts but until then Snape would be kept from them. He would have to tell Silas that everything was arranged and that his potions teacher wouldn't be able to come near him. Yes everything would work out.

x-x-x-x-x

By the time the Dark Lord had finished the meeting, Severus Snape was seething. He didn't like the Dark Lord's plan at all. He wanted Silas all for himself especially since he no longer had any Potter blood in him making him identical to that prat James Potter. He was a Malfoy, a pureblood and also a Water Nymph, a rare creature that could help him with his potions. Silas would be very useful to him. Severus needed to have Silas by his side and yet he was being rejected by Silas's family.

He was Silas' mate! He may have unknowingly rejected his mate however that didn't matter to Severus no he needed to feel happy and the fact that Silas looked like a Malfoy yet had Lily's eyes was a bonus. Silas would be his no matter what he had to do to accomplish that goal. He would have Silas Malfoy as his mate!

* * *

**Yoyo people! Another chapter! Just to answer a frequent question, Silas will meet with Voldie in about two or three chapters time so be patient! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. **

**Like the story? Then vote for it on my poll and see more updates ^.~**

**~MidnightEmber**


	8. Chapter 8

**~ Chapter Eight ~**

"You haven't ever known what being a part of a true family is like, have you."

Silas looked up startled at Draco. They were both sitting in the garden at Malfoy manor enjoying the first sunny weather they had seen since he had arrived three days ago. There were still a few clouds passing by in the breeze making it appear to be more spring than summer but they were enjoying it immensely especially knowing that this weather meant Silas was in a good mood for the first time in weeks.

The past two days had been spent in relaxation. Well that was after the day of torture he had to endure when Cissa took him shopping for a new wardrobe. She had gone absolutely ballistic when she had seen the items that her stepson had worn for the past years so much so that every item had been instantly burned on sight including the ones he had been currently wearing. Somehow she had managed to magic the clothes from him in an embarrassing manner. Silas only thanked Merlin that Lucius and Draco had been away for that even if they had been at a Death Eater meeting.

Afterwards she had then shrunk a set of Draco's clothes for him to wear out until he had his own. It had been embarrassing to say the least. However Silas could now boast that he had been in every single store in Diagon Alley and that was a feat in itself considering the hundreds of stores packed magically into the small street. Sure he'd come out of it with a brand new wardrobe (which had been taken out of the Malfoy account much to is protest) but he still felt undeserved of the items.

He'd never been spoilt and to gain everything in one go was overwhelming him. It was great that he was able to gain luxury items such as his new shoes (Dudley's old trainers had always been too big and falling apart when he received them) but the only thing that truly meant anything for him was the new relationships he had gained with his family. To him that meant the world.

In the past two days he had learnt many things that he should have learnt growing up in a pureblood family. He'd been taught by Cissa mainly however Lucius and Draco also aided when the occasion called. The topics they covered ranged from formal dining to conversation and even politics. Many would have said that it was terribly boring to do something like that on their holidays but Silas found it refreshing. To him it was a change that he was more than pleased with and if it taught him the Malfoy way then he was willing to learn.

However Draco's statement had thrown him off slightly. Not once had his family brought up the fact that he had been abused in his past living arrangements. It was almost as if they were scared to bring it up in case Silas was provoked into another mood swing that would alter the weather drastically and while that would have been the case when he first arrived it wasn't now.

"I don't know what you're speaking of." Silas replied weakly.

Sure he had been learning to hide his emotions behind a mask but there was still some Gryffindor tendencies left in him. One of them much to his disgust was not being able to lie to save his life especially when it came to personal matters. Those emotions were on display for everyone to see regardless of how hard he tried to hide it.

"Silas I know you're lying to me. It's written all over your face. However I don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want to speak of. When you're ready to talk then do so and start wherever you like I won't mind as long as you talk to someone about this just to get it off your chest."

Now they were getting into a touchy subject that Silas didn't wish to speak of but knew that delaying this wasn't something that Draco, Lucius or Cissa would allow. The reason they were all so excellent at hiding their emotions was because they spoke to someone of their problems. Without that person to speak to Silas was like an open book to anyone he walked past.

His family simply wanted the best for him and at the moment that meant opening up to someone even if it were his brother and ex-rival. Draco probably wasn't the best option considering his age but his family would be pleased as long as he spoke of his problems to one of them even if it were only just touching on the subject.

"The Dur- the people I was left with as an infant weren't the type of people to allow a magical being to live normally in their house." He began.

Silas looked up at the sky watching as the clouds shifted ominously yet he knew they wouldn't bring any rain this day. His emotions would stir slightly at revealing this information but they wouldn't be drastic enough to cause a change in the weather. He could do this without his emotions being scrambled again.

"My Aunt knowing what my mother was able to do despised her for it. She had always been jealous. When they were younger everyone would always speak of my mother and how beautiful and smart she was and my Aunt was always ignored. Then mum was accepted into Hogwarts and it only got worse. During those years they got more distant until mum graduated. They didn't speak or contact each other in anyway after that. Then one day my Aunt opened the door to find me in a basket on the doorstep with only a note explaining what happened to my parents and what they were to do with me."

Draco sat quietly listening to everything that Silas spoke. He could tell that it was only about to get worse and he wanted to allow his brother to get it all off his chest.

"My Aunt and Uncle were so confused and angry at that. Dumbledore just left me on their doorstep expecting that after everything my mother went through with her that she would eagerly raise me alongside her own son. How horribly wrong he was." Silas said sadly.

"For the first eleven years of my life I lived like a house elf. The first chore I did was washing dusting. I was four at the time. From there they gradually introduced sweeping, cooking, cleaning and anything else they could think of that my Aunt no longer desired to do. By the time I was seven I knew how to do every little task in the house. They were pretty well-off and instead of hiring a maid or something like that they gave the tasks to me instead."

"To make it all worse I didn't even get my own belongings or room," Silas laughed bitterly. "I spent the first eleven years of my life sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs like some street urchin that they had taken in on charity. They fed me barely enough to make it through the day and all the belongings I owned were second hand from my cousin who was and still is the size of a baby whale so they looked hideous on me."

Draco could feel his anger bubbling to the surface. All this time he had assumed that Silas was living a happy life an extravagant life filled with relaxation and yet he had been wrong. Silas' life had been hard and unforgiving. It only made him glad that he was finally living where he belonged. Silas was finally home.

"It got better when I began receiving my Hogwarts letters." Silas continued.

"Hogwarts' letters, as in plural?" Draco asked bewildered. Normally a child would only receive the one letter and not more. Why had Silas been different?

"Yes Draco letters, My Aunt and Uncle didn't want me to go to Hogwarts even though they didn't want me at their house either. In fact for the first eleven years of my life I had no idea that magic even existed though I should have guessed what with all the accidental magic I performed over the years. I remained blissfully ignorant to my heritage."

That left Draco stumped. He'd never thought that the Harry Potter would never have known about the magical world after all he was there great saviour. He should have been praised beyond all imaginable.

"What did your Aunt and Uncle tell you about your parents, Lily and James?"

"Well I was never allowed to ask questions pertaining to my past since that would bring about the uncomfortable discussion about why I was living with them but they did tell me, well shout would be a more appropriate word, that my father was a drunk and both my parents were unemployed. They did it to make themselves feel better I believe however it didn't work very well from what I could see. Before I entered Hogwarts they stuck to the story that my father got himself and mother killed in a car accident while my father had been drunk."

Draco could see how much it truly affected Silas though he didn't reveal any of it. Of course it would affect him though. No one wanted to hear that their parents whether biological or adoptive got themselves killed while drunk driving. It would be heartbreaking especially with relatives that didn't care for you. (1)

"Anyway after the first letter arrived they moved me from the cupboard under the stairs thinking that they had someone watching the house. They burnt the letter the same day regardless of how much I told them that it was my letter. The following day more letters arrived and they were burnt as well. In the end it got so bad that the entire living room was covered in hundreds of letters. Of course they believed that moving would stop the letters from finding me."

Silas scoffed identically to Draco as if any letter in the wizarding world would go undelivered especially a Hogwarts letter.

"We moved over several locations until we finally stopped at a secluded hut out in the sea. It was pouring rain and absolutely miserable. I slept that night on the dusty ground while my cousin slept on the sofa and my Aunt and Uncle took the only bed. The sad thing is that it was probably one of the best nights of my life."

Draco sent Silas a withering look that said everything he was thinking. Sleeping on the ground in a rickety hut whilst it was pouring rain outside was not supposed to be one of the best nights of someone life.

"Hagrid broke down the door seconds after midnight and that was when I finally began to learn about the magical world. My Aunt and Uncle put up a fight but they eventually had to give in after Hagrid gave my cousin a pig's tail. He has an umbrella that holds the remnants of his broken wand." Silas explained to his confused brother. "Anyway the rest of the summer was spent with them pretty much ignoring me. When I asked them something, Uncle would just grunt and Aunt would just turn her nose up at me. In a way it did get better considering I didn't have to do as many chores but they still made me feel useless."

"You and I both know that isn't true Silas." Draco consoled. "You have the entire wizarding world at your feet as both a Malfoy and a Potter. No matter which way you turn every option is open for you."

Silas smiled at his brother's attempt at cheering him up though it wasn't working very well. He needed more practice. Both remained silent until he was ready to continue.

"When I returned that summer everything was back to normal. No . . . everything had progressively gotten worse. Uncle placed bars on my windows and locks on the outside of the door. They effectively locked me in my room so I could only leave during the times they allocated which was once in the morning and once at night. The only food they gave me was a can of food at every meal. It was soup if I remember correctly and they didn't even bother to heat it. I suppose I could say luckily Ron, Fred and George busted me out with their father's flying car but with the way everything is going between us I have every reason to doubt that Ron was sincere about that move unlike the twins."

Taking comfort in the arm Draco had wrapped around his shoulders, Silas continued skipping much of what happened during his school years. That could be a story for another time. He just wasn't ready to reveal all the dangerous adventures he had been sent on by the headmaster. His parents would be out for revenge then and that didn't suit what he wanted to currently achieve.

"Third year started out alright. They mainly ignored me which was depressing but at least they had removed the locks from the door and there weren't any bars on the window since the twins had pulled them off the year before that. I believe that the thought of Sirius Black, the "deranged" psychopath on the loose was a terrifying thought to them that and Marge, my Uncle's sister happened to arrive during that time. She had the worst dogs ever. Her favourite of course was a terrible dog called Ripper who she liked to order to attack me."

"Of course just like my relatives she despised me and believed that my mother was a whore and that my father was a drunk. Every time she visited she delighted in tormenting me about them. So as usual she couldn't help herself and tormented me but I had just about had enough of hearing about my parents spoken to in such a tone when I knew that it wasn't true so my accidental magic made her swell like a balloon. In the end she floated out of the room and into the open sky. When my uncle, aunt and cousin were occupied with her I ran and grabbed my belongings before leaving as fast as possible but not without a few threats to make sure I got out in one piece."

Soaking all of this new information in, Draco couldn't help but sigh. Silas' life had been terrible and throughout the years at Hogwarts he hadn't made life any easier for his brother. Instead he had strived to do the opposite. He had wanted the Boy-Who-Lived to feel some sort of pain in his seemingly untouchable life not realizing that he had problems at home that he would never truly fathom by merely teasing and bullying the boy. Draco had never felt so miserable for all the situations he had forced his brother into.

"Four year was slightly more tolerable than the last. I now had a deranged godfather that I could hold over their heads should I be harmed in any way possible." Silas continued with a happy gleam in his eye. "They didn't dare do anything to me at that point in time. Of course the only upset that occurred was when the Weasley's flooed into a muggle home and forgot that some places aren't accessible to the floo system. They ended up trapped behind a grate that blocked the fireplace from the room. In the end they blasted the grate free and covered the pristine room in ash. My relatives were absolutely gobsmacked."

"Then the twins "accidentally" dropped a bunch of sweets to tempt my cousin with so they could see the result of their testing. Since he was currently on a diet he feel for it hook, line and sinker. The sweet caused his tongue to grow four feet and literally drag along the floor. My aunt was nearly hysterical because of it while my cousin was in shock and attempting to shove his tongue back into his mouth. My uncle was slowly turning purple in rage. That was a sight I will never forget."

Silas shook his head in silent laughter. It had been an amusing sight at the time. Draco laughed along with him. That would have proved to be interesting to see in the least.

"Last summer was absolutely calm until the Dementor attack. They didn't come near me though that was also because every day they would send me outside and away from them. I don't think they particularly liked being around me and with my "friends" refusing to send me a lot of mail I didn't have a lot of contact with anyone at all regardless of the fact that I was having nightmares of the graveyard continuously. Honestly I don't think they truly cared at all as long as their saviour was physically healthy but with my appearance that wasn't saying much at all."

The years at Hogwarts had always allowed him to gain weight and then when he returned to the Dursley's he would lose whatever weight he had gained to begin with. He'd always despised that and now because of that he was practically the shortest guy in their grade.

"Anyway it was worse that year considering my cousin was on a diet and my aunt forced it upon all of us even though she's as thin as I am. So I spent most of my time on my own and since I didn't eat all that much I couldn't really walk far at all. Then the Dementor attacked my cousin and I. My cousin believed that I was causing the effects made by the Dementor yet he at least listened when I told him to run. I resorted to use my wand and cast the spell that almost got me expelled and my aunt and uncle still blamed me for causing their precious son to turn into a blubbering, sobbing mess. They took him to the hospital that night and that was the last I saw of them since Dumbles band of misfits turned up to take me to Grimmauld Place."

Draco had heard from eavesdropping on his father's conversations that their own ministry had sent the Dementors on the Boy-Who-Lived. At the time he had thought the entire episode to be hilarious and yet he hadn't thought about what the Dementors' effects did to the boy just that he had been attacked and nearly expelled. All other thought had been suspended.

Silas knew that his brother was feeling terrible for all the times he had bullied Harry Potter but he wasn't going to acknowledge that time in his life anymore than he had to for the time being. Everything was just too hectic and he knew that even though his brother felt bad for it he would never apologize. No, he would work on their future relationship and forget the past exactly like Silas was going to do. That at least helped them in some way without resorting to delving into the past.

"This summer I half expected it to get worse considering the stupid old fool wrote my uncle a letter and explained to him what had happened to the one person who was like a shield between them but it didn't change anything. However I believe they sensed something in me had shifted, something had changed and they were well they weren't joyful about it but they were pleased. It was almost as if they could sense that I no longer controlled by the old fool and they approved of my decision. So they left me alone and almost treated me like a member of the family. It was definitely weird."

"When my aunt realized I had begun to gain the same symptoms my mother received at her age she handed me my mother's old belongings. It helped to not only learn about what I was turning into but who my mother was. Her journal was the greatest insight into who she was and I finally felt as if I was getting to know my mother for who she was and not the little of what everyone else spoke of her."

The clouds continued to float by occasionally blocking the sun and giving them shade from the rays. Both knew it was from Silas' emotions and yet neither commented. They simply remained in each other's presence trying to maintain their composures. Silas was having more luck at it now that he had spoken to someone of his emotional problems. Sure it wouldn't fix itself over night and never without his mate but it was a work in progress that Draco was happy to see through.

Suddenly a thought crossed Draco's mind and he wondered why he hadn't picked up on it earlier.

"I just realized this Silas but you never once used their names. Why is that?"

Silas looked sheepishly at his brother. Something that meant his Gryffindorish tendencies had pulled him through it.

"I didn't want you or father to locate them and pay them back for the trauma they have cause in my life. My cousin has grown up since I saved his life and no longer bullies me, my aunt treats me as her nephew and my uncle doesn't treat me like something that should belong on the bottom of his shoe. They are attempting to repay me for the treatment I have suffered beneath them and that is all I ask of them for now. I don't want anything bad to happen to them."

While Draco could understand where his brother was coming from he didn't like it. At the current point in time he wanted nothing more than to go to their house and tear them apart whether literally or figuratively he didn't know but he had a feeling that Silas' mate would also do the same as would their father when he eventually discovered this.

Above them the sun blaze down gifting them with its presence a signal that Silas was happy. Not one cloud was seen in the sky. He had spoken to someone about the horrors that he had to endure at his "relatives" house and it seemed to help him with his weather and emotional control more than bottling it up did.

"I'm glad that you're finally feeling better brother." Draco commented.

Silas didn't have to comment the weather revealed everything. However he was too busy in thought to do so.

Never had he imagined that he would tell anyone let alone Draco about his past with the Dursley's. He hardly enjoyed thinking about them when he was alone so to do this was both confusing and relieving at the same time. The life he had led as Harry Potter had never been pleasant between summers at the Dursley's and then fighting for his life every year at school. It had never been a life he had wanted to live. He had just wanted to be Harry, the normal kid with a normal life. Something his relatives had always strived to be. Now that wasn't possible.

The Order were probably out searching for him to apologize for the slight to him and the Death Eater's would soon by attempting to curry his favour and get him to join their Lord in fighting against those who had betrayed him. No his life from now on would never be normal but at least he had something he had always desired, a family who truly loved him no matter what. He would never trade that for anything.

A sudden change in the atmosphere startled Silas out of his thoughts.

"Draco what was that?"

Draco merely raised an eyebrow at his brother calmly.

"So you felt that as well? It only proves that you are a Malfoy, Silas. What you felt were the property wards being triggered by someone entering. They allow us to know that someone other than the family is at the manor and warns us whether or not the person was keyed into the wards when they originally entered or whether they are a onetime guest. From the feel the wards gave off this person is a regular visitor to the manor so we have nothing to worry about."

Regardless of his brother's reaction to the wards, his inner Nymph was agitated and it worried Silas. Whoever had entered through the wards was here to see him and if he had the intentions correctly than that person was the one he least desired to currently see.

As Silas predicted a shadow crossed over their forms and before them stood Severus Snape, one of his mates. Snape looked as terrifying and unkempt as usual. His hair was greasy appearing as if he hadn't washed it in several days, his clothes were ruffled and crinkled and in places. Coal eyes glared at Draco and yet became possessive when turned towards Silas. It caused Silas to cringe and hide behind his brother slightly.

"Hello Uncle Severus." Draco said coldly sensing the tension between the two.

He knew that Severus was one of Silas possible mates but he had openly rejected Silas and that meant he was attempting to get back into favour before his brother could locate his other mate. It was downright devious and something Draco would dnot stand for.

"Good morning Draco I would like a moment to speak with Silas alone."

Feeling the hand enclose around his shirt in a death grip from behind, Draco knew that he would never leave these two alone.

"I'm afraid not Uncle you see we have to return to the manor for lessons. We are teaching Silas about pureblood lifestyle and he is taking to it remarkably swiftly." Draco commented pulling his brother along up the pathway and not turning back to even utter a farewell.

Unfortunately they didn't get very far before they were jerked to a stop. Severus wasn't taking any chance that Silas would be taken away from him this time so he had physically grabbed his arm to keep him within his grasp. If he'd used magic then he wouldn't have been allowed to leave the premises. The wards around the manor would sense what intent they castor had and retaliate in the only way possible by keeping the person inside to be dealt with by the family. No he planned on leaving with Silas.

"I would like a word with my mate." He growled menacingly.

The tone suggested no argument however Draco wasn't going to allow Severus to walk away with his brother in his grasp not when they had finally begun to bridge the gap between them. If he allowed Severus to take his brother away in this single instance, Silas would never allow them to enter his life again and Draco wasn't willing for that to happen.

Silas was staring at Snape in shock. He'd believed that Snape would leave him alone after the final talk at Grimmauld with the Order. That wasn't the case. Instead it appeared as if Snape was obsessed with possessing him in any way possible and it was scaring Silas to see this side of his teacher.

"I won't speak with you." Silas said calmly belaying the fear he felt.

A dangerous glint entered Snape's eye that made Silas' breath catch. This man was unhinged and more so than he believed Voldemort ever was. Silas didn't know why that was but it was enough to cause him to shiver and begin to tug his arm away from the man not that it budged in the firm grip that held it. Fear danced in his eyes.

"Severus you will release my son now." A cold voice echoed from behind them.

Silas spared a glance to realize that his father and mother were both standing before them, wands trained on Snape threateningly. The wards had obviously revealed more to their parents than to them in case something went wrong and with the right reason.

Slowly, Silas turned back to Snape to realize the entire time he'd been staring solely at him as if ordering him to say that he wanted to leave willingly with Snape instead of remaining at Malfoy manor with his family. It was gentle and caused him to lose focus for a second before he realized what was occurring. Snape was using Legillimency on him to change his mind. He was attempting to influence him without allowing him to answer for himself.

"Release me." Silas said ignoring the drilling looks Snape was giving him.

This man had now caused Silas to further push him away. First he'd openly rejected him and now he had attempted to force his will. Neither was accepted by his Nymph considering he had always been told what to do. That was one thing he would not forcibly tolerate from his mate.

"I will not until you-"

"Release me now Severus." Silas' voice was cold and so much like Lucius' it was petrifying.

The air around them shifted ominously as if Silas' control on his abilities was slowly slipping. The clouds gathered and blocked out the sun but instead of bringing rain it brought this sense of foreboding like the calm before the storm. It was not a pleasant feeling for any present.

Severus shocked at the change within Silas allowed the younger man to pull his arm from his grip. He'd always known that Silas as Harry Potter had a fierce temper and it obvious had not been a Potter trait enforced on him. This was a side from the Malfoy's or perhaps even Evan's. Both families had nasty tempers however not many people knew about it since they only released it in times of great stress and in the safety of their home since they were usually volatile when provoked.

Silas looked strong, cold and unattached to Snape. The familiar Malfoy expression was strange on the face that held so much of Lily in it. He almost desired for Silas to return to the way he looked before even if he hated Potter at least he wouldn't have to witness this startling change in the young man he so wanted to possess.

"You will leave this property and you will do it without me." Silas informed his Professor. "Not only have you rejected my once but now you have forcibly attempted to alter my will. I do not want or need a mate like that and since you are my second you do not have preference. In the future you will not interfere with what I decide including that of my future mate whoever I decide."

Unfortunately for Severus it was phrased as a demanded and not as a request. Since he was one of the mates and not the actual creature he had to obey the demand. Even as the dominant he had to obey. However if there was any way around it then he would find it and use it to his advantage. Silas would not be allowed to find his other mate, not with Severus around.

"Very well however I still must speak with you regarding the use of the Order's headquarters. Dumbledore asked be specifically if I speak with you about that."

Silas scowled. Not only was the man attempting to take him away from his family he was trying to use the headmaster as a tool to achieve not only his goal but that of the headmaster's who wanted Silas to return to the Order as Harry Potter.

"Grimmauld Place is the Black ancestral home and shall remain as such until I have a use for it. No one else will be permitted to enter the premises until I allow it not even Dumbledore's Order."

Silence fell over the group. Silas didn't have anything more to say towards the professor and Severus couldn't speak more on their "relationship" however the Malfoy's held blank expressions masking the fury within.

Everyone knew that Severus Snape was a spy. It was common sense that he would do some odd jobs for the headmaster however this was different. This wasn't something their spy would do especially before the family of Dark Lord's right hand man. That led them to only one conclusion. Severus Snape was Dumbledore's man through and through. They had no idea when it occurred only that Lucius' friend on longer sided with them and having him around his family was a danger that he wouldn't allow not when Silas had finally returned.

"Severus Tobias Snape you will not enter Malfoy Manor again until you have proper control of yourself." Lucius ordered.

Before Severus could even speak up for himself the wards acted. They pulsed around the family before homing in on Severus and forcibly ejecting him from the wards. Silas turned in silent question to his father who was frowning at the spot Snape had once stood.

"He was a danger to my family as long as he sides with Dumbledore. I can't allow that man to return to my manor and treat him as a friend during these times. That would be foolish and only place all of you in unnecessary danger."

Silas nodded his head and moved towards Draco who was leading the way back towards the house. Well at least that was one person he wouldn't have to worry about for a while.

x-x-x-x-x

Severus growled as he found himself on the outside of the Malfoy's wards. This was not what he had expected especially with using Legillimency on Silas. Everything he'd done, he'd done without a single thought. It was completely unlike him but he knew what the influence had been. It had been Silas, his mate.

Silas despised all people who lied considering that was what the Order had spent the past few years doing. He despised liars and only tolerated people who would speak the truth. This was no exception towards his mate and seemed to be even more prominent. That being said made it impossible to lie before the magical creature.

It had caused him to unintentionally reveal that he was a spy and no doubt he would never be trusted by the Malfoy family again. He would never be able to get close enough to Silas to bridge the gap between them and fix their relationship before he discovered his First mate. He would always be seen as the second and that was something he couldn't have especially since that he was probably no longer any use to the Order.

The Dark Lord would not allow him to return to headquarters and leave alive and healthy. No he would be killed instantly and nothing anyone said would change that. This being said, he only had one option.

He would have Silas Araluen Malfoy as his mate.

* * *

**(1)** If you were wondering why Draco understands driving, he doesn't understand muggle driving. He believes that Silas is speaking of carriages and not cars. He doesn't know what a car is considering his heritage and isn't likely to learn about it in his spare time.

**So I officially freaked myself out with possessive Severus. Yippee... anyway another chapter done~ Thanks for the reviews.**

**~MidnightEmber**


	9. Chapter 9

**~ Chapter Nine ~**

When Silas had originally discovered that he was a member of the Malfoy family there were many things he made sure to tell Lucius, Narcissa and Draco to avoid any misunderstandings in their new relationship. There was simply no way he was going to risk causing a rift in this new bond he had developed to appease his inner creature.

One was his new status as a Nymph with Snape as one of his mates. That was something that he couldn't keep a secret no matter how hard he attempted to keep it away from them. The weather and his emotions would always give him away until he had a mate of course but that wasn't likely to happen for a while yet due to the Snape incident.

Another huge item was his past experiences with "family members" and how well that turned out. If he explained that then he wouldn't waste his time explaining why he reacted oddly to some of his family's mannerisms. It would save a lot of time in future discussions. However the major item had been his current political standing.

After the debacle that was his meeting with the Order of the Phoenix, Silas knew that he would never be able to side with them again. It just wasn't something that would ever be done not even if he were to miraculously fall to the Imperius curse however since it didn't work when Voldie cast it he was positive that it wouldn't work for someone else. Also since there was no way he could suddenly change his views on the Dark Lord's objectives he had decided to remain neutral until he had located his other mate.

His family being the kind and supportive people that they were (in private of course) accepted his first two decisions with barely a blink of an eye. However something about that last item just didn't sink in when he explained it and he had no idea why.

Sure they knew that he wouldn't interfere with their own beliefs and yet that didn't stop them from attempting to sway his own. The Malfoy's were dead set on swaying his opinion of the Dark Lord and their master to better his political view from neutral to dark. Silas guessed it was simply another way of attempting to keep him safe from Snape.

That was why Silas currently stood outside Riddle Manor with Nye on his shoulder, his father and brother beside him. Silas could feel a twitch begin to form in his eye.

This was the kind of scenario he was hoping to avoid. Not only would it be completely awkward for him to suddenly appear at Riddle Manor but there were quite a few people inside that he despised and more than often wished dead, Pettigrew and Bellatrix at the top of that list. If he were to enter what was stopping him from seeking revenge? The answer: absolutely nothing.

No one would want to displease Lucius, Voldie's right-hand man, by killing or torturing his son regardless of who he may once have been. That pretty much gave him free reign over anyone that was inside, the Dark Lord included. There was only one thing that may cause him to pause and that would be if he located his mate.

Knowing Snape's true leanings made him assume that his mate would be someone dark in nature. Most of those people would have passed through these halls on one occasion or another to attend meetings that their master called. Fortunately for him it wouldn't take a lot to recognize his mate since his Nymph wasn't like others. It didn't rely on dreams to send him images of his mate. No instead he had aura and scent to go on instead. This would normally be a good thing however if they were all in a group he wouldn't be able to accurately locate his mate.

Silas felt his twitch double in ferocity. "What are we doing here?"

Lucius spared his son a small glance. Anyone could tell the youngest Malfoy wasn't pleased to be here but he wanted his son to find his mate before Sev- Snape did something that would compromise his son's safety.

"Draco and I are here for a meeting however I thought that you might appreciate a change of scenery since you've spent the last week at the manor. I have set it up so that you will be in the library during the meeting. Don't worry, you will remain in there the entire time as well so that no one will accidentally stumble upon you and curse you. The Dark Lord is very protective when it comes to his library so it has many curses upon the room."

Frowning, Silas began to follow his father as he led the way up the hill. This still was odd.

"I could have just gone to Diagon Alley with Cissa." Silas suggested. To him it sounded far more reasonable than this even though shopping with Cissa was a nightmare.

"You will go with both mother and I later this month when we receive our Hogwarts letters for the coming year and you really should begin to call her mother otherwise she may find a way to punish you like sitting with her lady friends having tea and exclaim about the latest fashion atrocity warn by Weasley or other mudbloods." Draco shuddered at the thought.

"Draco you liked those meetings." Lucius said smirking at his son.

"When I was five!" Draco shouted indignantly.

Silas snickered lightly jostling Nye on his shoulder. "I'm sure you enjoyed every moment of them Draco what with the amount of time you spend preparing yourself for the day. Half an hour on picking out the set of clothes, an hour long shower or bath- sometimes both- twenty minutes for your hair, ten minutes of practicing your facial expressions-"

"I do not!"

"Of course not Draco."

"Thank you father"

"That is why you wake at six in the morning and present yourself for breakfast at eight."

It was an unusual sight that greeted the already gathered Death Eaters in the hallway at Riddle Manor. Three usually stoic Malfoy's entered. Two of them were laughing joyously whilst the third was pouting at the misfortune that had befallen him. On the smallest males shoulder was an odd animal that none of them recognized yet didn't appear to be dangerous. The trio walked past without a glance in their direction and continued into the manor and away from the usual meeting hall.

Lucius led his sons through the hall and directly to the Dark Lord's library. Firstly he had to make sure that his son was safe in case the traitor decided to show up. Then he would organise the other Death Eater's that had already arrived before the scheduled time. From there he would have to gain the Dark Lord's approval before he practically paraded his fellow Death Eaters before his son in the hopes that the Nymph side of his son chose one of them as his mate before Snape got to him.

"Silas you should be perfectly safe in here. This area is a neutral zone for all those who enter. The books should be completely available to you and if they aren't you won't be able to move them off the shelves so don't bother attempting since the Dark Lord will be notified. Draco and I will return here after the meeting is over."

Nodding his head, Silas entered the library without even bidding them goodbye to entranced by the volume of books to even glance at them. Lucius and Draco watched as the doors swung shut behind him and breathed out a small sigh. Silas was now safe inside a room that didn't allow any violence. However that was only one stage of the plan accomplished. Now it was time for the next part. Turning around they head back towards the main hall and the gathered Death Eaters.

"Lucius who was the other brat?" one of the new recruitments asked foolishly. Of course anyone who had been paying attention in the last meeting would have easily guessed that "the brat" was his son.

Ignoring the pathetic underling, Lucius turned to the others gathered.

"The Dark Lord has forbidden the use of the other rooms in the manor before or after this meeting any breach in his desire will be severely punished. He will also know if you attempt such a thing as well so I wouldn't suggest such foolishness. Now shall we enter and wait for our Lord to brief us?" Lucius advised them all.

Lucius knew that all of them would be curious as to why the Dark Lord had forbidden the Death Eaters from the rest of the manor yet he didn't' care. The Dark Lord was protecting his son and that was all there was to it. If the rest of his allies wanted answers they could get some foolish courage and ask their master if they were that desperate.

Entering the room, Lucius took his usual position he held in meetings, in the centre of the first line of Inner Circle Death Eaters. It was the position of the Dark Lord's right hand man and he was proud to hold it. Draco came in behind him as the others stumbled to locate their correct positions.

Large group meetings were always held in the Riddle manor's Ballroom since it was the largest room in the manor. No seats were given so everyone had to stand before the Dark Lord's raised platform. There was only one instance where the Dark Lord chose to treat others as something close to his equals and that was when they had an Inner Circle meeting gathered in the Dining Room. That at least was due to the amount of sanity that the Dark Lord had recovered over the past two years.

However he wasn't sure he agreed on having Draco part of the Inner Circle. As a father Lucius had at first been concerned about this sudden change in hierarchy. Yet he'd watched as Draco stood alone in a duel with a few of the other Inner Circle members including his deranged Aunt. That didn't remove the concern Lucius felt for his son during raids but it did give him less to agonize about.

Just then the Dark Lord swept into the room and everything fell silent as he walked down the length of the room moving towards the elevated part to conduct the meeting. It was truly amazing the kind of fear and respect the Dark Lord could generate at the same time in his followers yet the Order of the Phoenix believed it to be simple fear that bred their loyalty. Pssh, idiots.

"Welcome my loyal Death Eaters. What news have you . . . where is Severus?" the Dark Lord hissed menacingly.

Lucius turned to his left only just realizing Snape hadn't shown for the meeting and smirked victoriously. Sure it was bad that the Dark Lord had lost his best Potions Master but it was better than having a spy working to destroy their ranks. Besides a Potions Master could be replaced given the correct training.

"My Lord it was discovered during an impromptu appearance at my manor a few days ago that Severus Snape is only loyal to Dumbledore and the foolish Light. He has spent all of this time spying on us for his true master while we only received minimal information on the Order of the Phoenix at best." Lucius spoke attempting to hide the anger in his voice. He may have succeeded to if the Dark Lord hadn't been so attentive to those around him. Luckily he didn't bring it up now.

His fellow Death Eaters bristled at the thought of a spy in their midst. They despised spies even those who truly supported them. Spies were the single type of person that could never be truly trusted. People in that profession were so talented at hiding their real emotions from everybody apart from those they solely confided in. Having one of these bastards betray them called forth the hatred and bloodlust they were too well known for.

"So, Severus is a double crossing spy? What caused him such emotion that led him to bring forth this information?" Voldemort enquired.

Lucius cringed. He didn't desire to speak of his son in such open terms with all Death Eaters present it was a family matter after all and yet he didn't want to evoke the Dark Lord's wrath.

"Snape was attempting to remove Silas from our family manor knowing who he once was. At first he struggled to use logic and pleas that would have once worked with Silas' forgiving nature but upon finding he couldn't reach across that way he began speaking of the Order of the Phoenix. I believe that he may have forgotten that we were present at the time. He spoke of using the ancestral Black home as a headquarters again which was vehemently denied. After hearing of that I banished him from the manor grounds." Lucius commented keeping most of the information withheld from the other Death Eaters present.

Everyone fell silent as their master pondered this new information. By the stance he had taken it didn't look good for Snape's future. The Dark Lord was positively livid though he strained to hide the fact behind a mask of indifference.

"It appears as if Severus has finally chosen his path. Who are we to dictate whether he is wrong? No my friends it would be easier to dispose of this vermin when we eradicate the rest of the plague that stands in our way. Do you not agree?"

Voldemort smirked as his Death Eaters shouted triumphantly at his decision. They enjoyed hunting the "unworthy". They enjoyed the game of killing those weaker than them. To them any that didn't learn their way of life were as good as dead. What use were they to the Dark if they were always creating riots that led nowhere?

"My followers the plans for this coup are in their final stages. It is only a matter of time before we proceed with our next phase and take control of the Wizarding World in Britain. However first we need more allies, so what other news do you bring me?"

Rabastan stepped forward eager to please the Dark Lord since his brother was too busy hiding with Bella amongst the other Death Eaters. He wasn't sure what they were doing exactly only that he didn't care to think on it. Honestly sometimes their insanity bordered on being ridiculously intense though for some reason everyone let them be.

"My Lord, Greyback has agreed to return to your previous agreement though he did ask that there be a few changes." Voldemort waved him to continue. "He asks that his pack be allowed to roam freely amongst their villages and have an advocate in our new Ministry. The other enquires have to do with mates and what happens when a werewolf chooses a wizard or witch as his mate and such." Rabastan finished.

"Inform Fenrir that I shall discuss this situation in private with him when he arrives next week with his pack."

Knowing that was the only response the Dark Lord would offer him, Rabastan returned to his spot in the front line of Death Eaters so the next person could make their report. The other reports were all similar in style. Everyone reported on what allegiance they were currently working on and how far they had progressed during the time the Dark Lord had given them.

There were reports from the vampires, giants and other creatures that were all allies against the Light. They all demanded different things and all of them had to be organised and questioned as to whether or not the demands were at least reasonable. If not they then needed to be negotiated.

This was followed by the reports of what was occurring within the Wizarding community and the Ministry. Most of it was just a rehash of previous reports since the only major change that had occurred in the past year was the outing of their master's return which had caused a large upheaval within the world. Other than that everything had pretty much remained the same.

Not many citizens chose to go outside in the streets anymore. They were all too afraid now that it had been confirmed their master was alive and ready to begin another war yet was merely biding his time. All the Death Eaters found this hilarious. The citizens of wizarding Britain chose to be wilfully ignorant when their supposed saviour of the wizarding world spoke out against them and yet they need physical proof from their idiotic Minister before they chose to believe it. All this revealed to those with sharp eyes was that their world was in a steady decline and something needed to be changed.

Then there were the people who the Ministry were jailing because they were thought to be Death Eaters when they truly weren't leaving the true followers to remain within places of power amongst them. Not only did this show their incompetence but also gave them the upper hand. After spending a month in Azkaban the Light or even Neutral citizens usefulness would have greatly diminished since Light spells wouldn't work properly for the accused for months after their release.

The fools were simply slowly destroying themselves and making the way much easier for the dark to rise to power.

"Lucius what other news do you bring?" Voldemort enquired.

Lucius turned towards his master and bowed respectfully before standing again. It wouldn't do well for him to upset the Dark Lord for such a simple reason as the one he presented.

"My Lord as you may have heard from other sources on the way in, I have brought my youngest son with me today. He is currently in your library viewing the extensive range you have to offer."

Voldemort seemed to ponder this for a while before continuing. "Does he share our views on the wizarding world?"

A few of the Death Eaters perked up at this believing that he would be marked as the rest of the newbies. How wrong they were. Silas was far above them.

"As I have mentioned before my son does not wish to choose a side until he has discovered his mate. It would be beneficial for him to wait until that time though I do not know if his mate is within our ranks or not. I am only hoping that he is and would like to see if he is amongst the Inner Circle as I assume he will be."

"It would be excellent to have a Nymph on our side even if he didn't actually support us. Just having the knowledge that he was on our side would be a huge blow to the Light side." Voldemort pondered.

Even though he didn't show it he was eager to see the youngest Malfoy. Sure he knew that the teen had once been his enemy however he was no longer a threat to the Dark considering who his family was. A Malfoy was always loyal to family. That trait appeared to be ingrained into the blood considering that even as Harry Potter he was still loyal to his family. It was only the Malfoy's cunning and knowledge that kept their family out of Hufflepuff.

"Very well I would like to meet him if he will allow it. I believe he could be an asset to our side especially if he bonds with a member of the Inner Circle. The Outer Circle is dismissed." Voldemort drawled.

The Outer Circle was disheartened to hear that their master didn't think much of them however it was to be expected. They didn't have anything major to contribute to the main meetings and they wouldn't move up in ranks until it was proven that they could be trusted. They weren't even strong enough to be considered a Nymph's mate even by said Nymph's father. If that didn't scream weakness they weren't positive what was. However that strive for power was what urged them to join the Dark so it wasn't a complete waste. When they were older and more ingrained in society as something worthwhile then they would gain recognition.

Once the Outer Circle had left the Inner Circle relaxed significantly. As the Inner Circle they were given more leeway than the others yet they were still expected to show respect were it was needed and rightly deserved according to others. However the Outer Circle was too curious and allowing them to see such displays was punishable.

"How shall we arrange this Lucius?" Voldemort enquired.

"May I suggest that one go in at a time or at most send them in pairs until we garner a reaction from Silas?"

Voldemort pondered this while the other asked questions they had been eager to have answered.

"Your son is truly doesn't care that he is essentially joining the side that killed his mother?" Rabastan asked.

"What about his dogfather can't forget Siri dearest can we?" Bella said giving an obnoxious giggle that had them all cringing while clinging to her beloved and equally insane husband.

Everyone sighed. It was difficult to adjust to their eccentric behaviour since Azkaban.

"Bella and Bastan do have equally reasonable questions." Augustus said wincing slightly.

"Silas made it very clear that he wasn't joining any side until he discovered his mate. I'd assume that meant he wasn't going to choose a side until he found his second however I'm not sure. He was very firm when stating he would never return to the Light and essentially to Severus so the best we can hope for is that he decides to remain neutral yet support us in the shadows like a true Malfoy." Lucius answered as best as he could with what little information he had.

There had been a lot that Silas hadn't truly spoken about and this was one of them. Sure his family knew that he was a Nymph and that when his other mate was chosen he would openly side with someone unless said mate didn't desire for him to do so. It was quite the dilemma since for Malfoy's family meant everything. They would just have to ingrain this sentiment into Silas.

"Silas is very bitter about the death of Sirius so I would assume that Bella should be kept from going near him. As for the Dark Lord he can't really fault him since he doesn't truthfully remember much of that night though there is something about that night that he doesn't speak about." Draco said giving his input into the conversation from what he'd picked up from both Silas and Harry.

He knew that Harry had been very close to Sirius likening him to that of a loving uncle rather than a father because of how Sirius acted around everyone. Then there was the fact that Harry had actually spent time with him and remembered him unlike that of James. However that Halloween night was a topic that Silas rarely spoke about and Draco got the feeling it had more to do than just his mother's death.

"Then we shall wait and see to what he decides until then Bella remain away from young Silas and I will attempt to do the same unless he says otherwise. All the males in the Inner Circle can proceed to the library under Lucius' command." Voldemort commanded.

"My Lord what of you?"

"I shall remain in a secret room watching the proceedings. It would do well for Silas to know he was being watched or even tested on however I would like to know which of my closest followers is worthy enough for a young Water Nymph."

Lucius nodded and turned to lead the other males down the hall leaving a pouting Bella and an exasperated Dark Lord behind him.

x-x-x-x-x

When Silas entered the library he gaped at the sheer quantity that the library held. Sure he wasn't a bookworm by far but he still appreciated the knowledge that books provided everyone. To have access to this many books, he was practically in heaven at the thought. Perhaps there was even a book in here that could help him with more information on his heritage?

There would be no way to know for certain until he searched but somehow he knew that it would take too long to do it the muggle way. If only he'd been bought up in a pureblood household like he was supposed to be unfortunately he didn't want to dwell on that train of thought for too long.

Walking over to the bookshelves he noticed that there was a directory before him. Not knowing how to use the device he glanced longing at the books. Surely he could make an educated guess as to how this worked? After all what other choice did he have? He wasn't going to walk around the entire library searching for the section he wanted. Since he hadn't ever used the directory in Hogwarts' library he didn't sure whether or not to speak the words or simply write them down using a quill. After a few moments consideration he decided using a quill would be smarter since speaking in a library wasn't really tolerated.

He only wrote two words, 'Water Nymph'. The ink soaked into the page and glowed before returning blank. Obviously there weren't any specific books on Water Nymphs. Suppressing a growl he thought a little longer before writing, 'magical creatures' and 'inheritance'. Luckily this time a section of the library actually appeared on the page. Sighing in relief, he jotted down the number and went to locate the correct row.

Silas didn't even attempt to look at the other books he passed considering they would most likely be band topics for him and others without permission to search for those books. If he'd looked closely he would have noticed he passed sections on Charms, Herbology and even Divination however he didn't stop until he reached the section on magical creatures and inheritance.

Looking at the titles he found a copy of 'Nymphs and their Elements' that he had also inherited from his mother that he could use as a reference point. Then he chose three other books called 'Magical Inheritance', 'Creature Inheritance' and 'The Creatures Chain of Command' an incredibly rare book detailing hierarchy of creatures.

Happy with his selection, Silas turned and moved back towards the tables eager to begin reading. Much like his mother, he had begun to write down everything that had been occurring during his transformation in the small journal that Fred and George had gifted him for his birthday. This way he could easily track everything that was going to happen from further transformations to his moods and even dare he think pregnancy.

That particular topic was far from discussion at this point in time, it could definitely wait til later.

Eagerly placing the books on the table he realized Nye had taken to sleeping on the chair beside him somehow knowing which table he was going to sit at before he did. Silas simply shrugged it off. Hedwig did odd things like that all the time.

The first book he decided to look at was 'Creature Inheritance' since that was what he had gained from his majority. Flicking through he found the chapter labelled Nymphs and began reading.

_Nymphs are one of the rarest creatures identified in the magical world. Known for only living around their elemental environment it is very difficult to pinpoint where one would be located for further study of their environment habits. They are secretive creatures given their worth to most of the wizarding world and will only tell those most trustworthy of their secret. These people would likely consist of either their mates or direct family members. _

_Generally Nymphs have a calm and friendly nature given that they are all connected to the Earth through their abilities however at times a Nymph can be very forceful usually when either their mate or family is threatened. During war Nymphs can either view it passively or actively take part as long as they are supportive of their family. It is against their nature to oppose their family values severely. _

_Using magic simply comes naturally for all magical creatures and for Nymphs it's no exception. Like regular witches and wizards the Nymphs are confined to using their wands as a focus for their power (the exception being their elemental abilities). Simple spells such as Accio can be used wandlessly depending on the power of the Nymph though it has yet to be confirmed by this author. _

Silas barely even glanced up when someone entered the library. Not only was he too focused on reading he knew that this person couldn't hurt him. His father had told him that no one could cause harm in the library and he trusted his father's word. That meant he could be oblivious until they returned for him. So he focused back on his book without another thought.

Half an hour later he had finished the entire detailed chapter on 'Creature Inheritance' and turned back to the beginning so he could diligently begin to make notes about certain areas that he thought were specific to what he needed to know further about being a Nymph.

The next book he skipped through briefly. It only detailed magical inheritances and the only use that would be to Silas was if they mentioned anything to do with creature inheritances as well. All of this information went into his own journal which was being compared to his mother's. This way he would be able to gather more information without having to copy the same information over and over again. However he kept getting distracted by the numerous members of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle.

After the fifth member of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle entered the room, Silas began to get suspicious. He was fairly positive that not all of the Death Eaters close to Voldemort were chosen because they were studious. In fact many of them looked like they'd never even entered a library in their life.

Rabastan, the first person to enter, appeared at ease in the library. He'd easily chosen a few books from the shelves knowing exactly where they were and sat at a table close by but enough to respect Silas' personal space knowing who he had previously been. However when Walden McNair had entered all he'd done was wander aimlessly while glancing over at him. Silas already knew that McNair was an executor of dangerous beasts (according to the Ministry) and while that job was for the Ministry it didn't really need the constant use of a library.

Then there was Crabbe and Goyle and since they were almost identical to Draco's goons he didn't really have to comment on their ineptness. Of course then there was Rookwood who also seemed at ease though Silas knew he worked in the Department of Mysteries.

All of them happened to be watching him for some reason. Sure Augustus and Rabastan were subtle about it but McNair appeared to glance right at him while Crabbe and Goyle stared directly at him even though they were on the other side of the room. To be honest it was kind of creepy and something about this situation screamed to Silas.

No something was going on here and he was going to figure it out.

* * *

**I feel really cruddy for not updating... however none of my stories are being abandoned I'm just super busy with college *sighes* Next chapter shall be longer.**

**Thank you for everyone who had stayed with the story this far. I appreciate the commnets~**

**~MidnightEmber**


	10. Chapter 10

**~ Chapter Ten ~**

Vernon Dursley was known as numerous things. He was an excellent provider both in the home and at work. Many commented on his efforts to cease littering in public locations where many children played. He was also known for his occasional donations to the children's health appeal at the local hospital. His neighbours would praise him on his perfect home and garden. After all everything Vernon Dursley did was perfect. So as you could see Mr Dursley was known for many things.

Physically fit and healthy, was not one of them. That was why when he went to collect the mail (a simple journey from the couch to the door and back) he was out breath. Panting, he went through the mail.

Bills… bills… more bills… a thank you letter from an ill child… bills…

"Petunia!" the overweight man shouted gruffly. "There is a letter for you. It must be from one of your clubs."

With that, he threw the remainder of the mail on the coffee table to be looked at later. He was still out of breath and would need several minutes before he made the trip out to the car and took off for work.

"Of course, dear, I'll be there in a minute." Petunia called back, placing the duster on the window ledge.

Petunia had been working since the morning. First it had been the breakfast fit for ten people. Then there was the massive clean-up afterwards followed by the start of her new daily routine. She would do the laundry followed by tidying the house. Then she would dry the laundry and completed a bit of dusting. After that it would be folding the laundry and cleaning the bathroom.

She had made a point when Dudley had turned eleven never to enter his room to clean it. If he wanted a neat room he would need to do it himself. It never occurred but one could only hope he learnt eventually. Vernon kept their room clean. But Petunia had a feeling that was more to keep her happy than it was to actually live hygienically.

After lunch, Petunia would tend to her garden. Harry… well Silas had done a marvellous job of keeping it orderly during the summer. The other months it was left to her. Now she had plenty of time to keep the one thing that she loved (other than her family) healthy. It was her daily joy.

However cleaning would have to take a backseat for a while, her main concern right now was that blasted letter.

Oh, Petunia knew better than to believe that one of her numerous clubs had sent her a letter. They didn't bother to send letters since all that needed to be said was spoken at the beginning of the meeting. Each club had a different meeting day and were usually taken in the late afternoons though some met only monthly. No this letter was definitely not from one of her clubs.

Yet it couldn't have been from one of those annoying freaks from the Wizarding world either. They delighted in covering their letters with stamps and if that had occurred then Vernon would have raged on and on about it. Since that had not occurred, she could only assume that the letter was normal in appearance. No, this letter was from someone unknown to her.

Cautiously, she entered the kitchen, attempting to keep calm and normal for her husband and son. If they realized that she was acting odd because of the letter then they would demand to be rid of it before she got the chance to open it. Petunia didn't want that to happen since she was curious about the sender. She desperately wanted to know who would send her mail.

Making sure that her husband was still catching his breath on the couch and that her son had left for school, she turned her attention towards the letter.

The letter looked ordinary enough. Her name and address were written neatly on the front with only the one stamp in the top right hand corner. What appeared to be scratched on the top of the letter looked to be from a bird of some kind but she wasn't positive. There was no return address on the back however there was a name. Silas Araluen Malfoy. Thinking hard, she recognized the name vaguely and deemed the letter safe to open.

_-x-_

_Dear Aunt Petunia,_

_You may or may not have been slightly confused about the return addressee. Forgive me but father is teaching me to write everything in my true name and not the false name of Harry Potter I was going under. So this letter is from Silas who was once Harry, your nephew, if that makes everything all that bit clearer._

_I am keeping my word and writing to you about all of the changes that I am going through here. I even chose to send the letter as a usual muggle letter though it was delivered by Hedwig who is also waiting for a reply should you choose to do so._

_There is so much I wish to tell you and yet I'm not even sure you will care to listen to the concerns of a sixteen year old boy who is both a wizard and a magical creature. I'm so lost and confused. Even though I have a true family there are many things that I can't speak to them because of a conflict of interests. I need an outside opinion and I'm hoping that you will be that guide for me. Unfortunately, I can only hope you will listen as I speak my mind in this letter._

_I suppose everything begins with the day I left your care and returned to the Order of the Phoenix. I arrived at the Headquarters which legally belongs to me and everyone ignored me. They all appeared to have something that irked them when it came to me. As such I spent most of that time isolated or being ridiculed for "killing" my godfather, Sirius Black. It wasn't very pleasant but thankfully I had Kreacher, my house elf, on my side to even things out a little and cause some unknown payback._

_I know what you must be thinking. How did I manage to put up with them? Truthfully, I didn't. This situation didn't last very long._

_My biological father set up a meeting with the magical version akin to Child Services. I went to the meeting and reported all of the abuse from both my muggle and magical guardians. (Don't worry. They won't concern themselves with you or your son. They only take care of Magical children and their magical guardians.) The next morning I left the Order and was safely in Malfoy Manor with my father, step-mother and brother._

_I am very grateful that Lucius, my father and Narcissa, my step-mother took guardianship of me, though we have numerous things to work through. I finally have a family that I can rely on to take care of me when I need it. Not that I'm unappreciative for what you did for me it's just that… it wasn't what I needed. I hope that you understand this._

_This news though concerning isn't what I am fretful over._

_As you may remember through our talks, I am a magical creature and as such have two potential mates. This, this is what concerns me. I have discovered the names of both my mates and don't know how to proceed. Let me explain…_

_The first mate I discovered was my Light mate, Severus Snape. He currently teaches Potions at Hogwarts and is a spy in the Dark Lord's ranks. Dumbledore trusts him beyond a shadow of a doubt. I however won't ever be able to do that. This man has been horrid to me my entire life and is against my families beliefs._

_My entire school life he tormented and mocked me because of who he believed my father to be. There was never a peacefully moment from this man. In Potions I could never do anything correctly even when it wasn't all that similar from those around me. I was always in trouble with him around. It never seemed to end._

_Then as I mentioned, he doesn't share the same beliefs as my family. He is on the opposite side of the war to by beloved family. He spies on my families master and reports all the important information to Dumbledore. Then on Dumbledore's orders, he only gives minimal information to their master. I know the only reason he joined the Order is because the Dark Lord didn't spare my mother whom he was in love with. I don't think that I could ever mate with someone that was in love with my mother._

_My second mate is the Dark Lord Voldemort. This doesn't pose too much of a problem when concerning my family. After all they all follow him. However this is the man that killed my mother and step-father. I don't know whether I have it in my heart to forgive him for all that he has caused me. If it weren't for him I would never have been sent to you and spent my childhood in the unhappy circumstances that they were._

_I'm so lost and confused. My family would immediately say I should choose the Dark Lord because of their beliefs. Yet my decision still isn't an easy one. Please if you will reply, give me your opinion. I desperately seek it._

_I hope that you and your family are well._

_Sincerely,_

_Silas Araluen Malfoy_

_-x-_

Petunia sat heavily down at the kitchen table. She understood immediately who this belonged to. This letter was from Lily's son. Harry, or rather Silas as he was now called, was keeping his promise and writing constant updates to her.

She was glad that he had kept his promise and decided to write to her. Even Lily had allowed that world to swallow her in its magnificence. Petunia had hardly ever received mail from her though that was partly because she had told Lily not to send anything from that freak world to her. So she was partly to blame.

Silas' concerns were frightful. To expect a teen to choose between two such ruthless men as a mate was daunting. Even she as aged as she was wouldn't be able to make such a decision alone and yet Silas was expected to. That kind of pressure couldn't be healthy for a child.

Sighing, she peered into the lounge room to check her husband was gone before she walked out into the backyard. Petunia had made her decision. She would do everything in her power to aid Silas in anything he needed help with. If this was something that he desperately needed outside guidance in then she would grant it willingly.

"Hedwig?" she called out cautiously.

Petunia had never actually done this before. During the summers, she had witnessed both Lily and Silas doing the same thing with different birds. Hedwig, she remembered, had been the snowy owl that often kept Harry company when he was forbidden to leave the house.

As she called again, the bird in question flew gently down to her and landed on the back of a kitchen chair. The bird hooted almost curiously as she turned around.

"Wait here, I need to write Silas a reply before you can take it to him." She informed the bird before locating a piece of paper and pen.

She would make sure to keep all prejudice out of her words when writing. Silas needed her help not her hindrance and she would be as helpful as a muggle with little knowledge on the world could. Smiling, she began to write her reply. Hopefully her words would be useful.

x-x-x-x-x

Silas couldn't believe his luck. Well his bad luck to be more precise. What had he done to cause fate or whatever higher power there was to join him to two possible mates that hated his every being?

Severus Snape had loved his mother and joined Dumbledore because of it. He despised Harry Potter but did no longer since he was Silas Malfoy. There was no love in his eyes when Snape looked at him either just pure obsession. Quite honestly it was freaking creepy. His Potions Master simply looked like a man possessed when he did that. Not encouraging at all…

Then there was Voldemort. Need he say more? The man had been attempting to kill him for years. Not only that but he had killed both James and Lily Potter in an attempt to get to him. The only thing the Dark Lord had ever looked at him with his loathing. Yep that was the relationship builder.

What was he meant to do?

He was currently sitting at breakfast with his family yet he knew they could tell something was bothering him. He had attempted to hide it as well as he could. But they were a family of Slytherin's and had been for quite some time. They definitely had an edge over him when it came to hiding and noticing emotions.

It was probably only the little things that gave him away as well.

He was continuously glancing out the window as if searching for something. The part of breakfast he most enjoyed was being left alone as if it were nothing more than a second thought. The tableware lessons he'd been practicing hard in were being ignored for the one utensil. It was the little things that his family couldn't ignore especially given the circumstances.

Of course this only began occurring after he had left Riddle Manor with Draco and Lucius. His family had obviously pieced together that whatever was bothering him had transpired in the library while he was 'alone'. The only thing that had been bothering him lately was the fact that he had an undiscovered mate. Ultimately, it hadn't been that hard to figure out that Silas had discovered his mate at Riddle Manor and he was a little torn up about it.

Thankfully, Silas sighed, they weren't hounding him about it. He had enough trouble dealing with his thoughts without that as well.

His Nymph was demanding that he chose a mate and for him this would be one of the most difficult decisions of his life. There was no right or wrong, good or evil. There was only Voldemort or Snape and to him that was a million times worse.

He was no Seer so he couldn't tell what would occur in the future from this monumental decision. However he knew that this decision would affect the course of the war. It would change what would happen and what would occur even the entire outcome. He already had changed things through the adoption by the Malfoy's. Why not change everything further?

If he chose Severus, Silas knew that everything would be a lost cause. He could never see himself happy with that man no matter how much he tried. Not only was the pull towards him weak currently but the past was almost too much to stand. There was only pain and emotional suffering. How could he ever move past that?

Yet it was the same with the Dark Lord. Voldemort had attempted to kill him on numerous occasions without any thought to the pain he brought upon him. He had killed his mother and step-father. How was he meant to move past that?

Then there was the prophecy to consider… or not… Truthfully it no longer applied to him, only Neville. Sure he was born at the end of July but his parents hadn't disobeyed the Dark Lord three times. Lucius was still as loyal today as he had been when he first joined. Lily was merely thought to be a muggleborn so Voldemort wouldn't waste time attacking her alone. Only James had ever defied the Dark Lord and whether or not that was three times was another matter entirely. Then there was Narcissa who would follower her husband to the end of the world.

Neither Harry Potter nor Silas Malfoy was meant to defeat the Dark Lord. So there was nothing stopping him from bonding to either of his two mates. What was stopping him were his own beliefs… his own thoughts. When would enough be enough?

Perhaps in his befuddled mind he was taking everything out of proportion? Was it seriously as bad as he was making it out to be or was he just looking for ways to doubt himself? Silas didn't know. He only hoped that by the end of this he would be able to pick a mate and everything would level out once again.

Sighing, he returned to poking listlessly at his breakfast while his family watched. Silas just didn't have much of an appetite at the moment. He could hardly eat while his nerves were upsetting his stomach.

Tensing when his father cleared his throat, Silas knew exactly what he wanted. His father was going to gain his attention then enquire about his lack of appetite. This was only the beginning. He would then subtly ask why he wasn't eating properly and inform him that if he needed to speak to someone then he was there along with his family. Silas could almost groan. He wasn't ready for that yet.

Luckily, Hedwig swooped in with a letter attached before his father could speak.

Eagerly, Silas took the letter from her and handed her some bacon in return. This was the letter that he had been waiting for the past two days for. Sure he knew that he wouldn't receive it swiftly. He was aware that they lived quite a distance from Petunia' house but he had still hoped he would gain a return reply quickly. Obviously the tone in his letter had seen to that.

"Sorry father, mother, but I would really like to read this letter. May I be excused?"

Silas didn't even wait for a reply before he rushed out. There was no way he was going to allow someone to see what was written within the letter. He wouldn't be able to handle it if his parents took the letter away from him because of who it was from. If anything he needed to hear her words more than anything right now. They were just something familiar that he needed until he was more relaxed around his parents.

Closing the door to his bedroom behind him, he curled up on his bed and began to read.

_-x-_

_Dear Silas,_

_I am thrilled that you have kept your word and kept me updated in your life in the Wizarding World. If there was one thing that I regretted about the way I treated your mother during her time at Hogwarts it was never writing to her and ignoring her mail to me. I'm even more grateful that you told Hedwig what to do with the letter as to not raise suspicions in the house also that you explained to her that she would need to wait for a reply._

_Everyone here is the same. The neighbours chat constantly about my wonderful garden and my obese son and husband. Dudley has managed to lose some of his weight through boxing but he is nowhere near healthy yet. Vernon doesn't know the word healthy so I fully expect that he is going to have many expensive health problems down the track._

_I am doing well and keeping busy with the work load at the house and through my numerous clubs. Many of the neighbours wonder how I manage to keep everything in such pristine condition but I won't tell them my secret. It seems to frustrate them and create gossip amongst them that I for once do not give them. I must confess that it is quite amusing._

_Now we need to discuss your problem._

_When I first read about the Order of the Phoenix I must say that I was shocked. I never would have thought them capable of blaming a teenager for the murder of someone when it wasn't their fault. Regardless of the circumstances the only way to blame a child for murder is to catch them with the weapon so to speak. I am sorry that you had to lose someone close to you for you to realize the Order wasn't as what you had hoped them to be._

_I'm glad that you managed to leave them and their problems far behind you and are finally settling in with your family. Living here couldn't have been very healthy for you considering everything we managed to put you through. The Malfoy family sound very caring and considerate to you. I am that they can give you what we could not._

_The most difficult part of this letter is attempting to give you the advice you so desperately desire. I am not part of the Wizarding World so my knowledge of certain things is somewhat lacking compared to those within your family. However you need an unbiased opinion on what you should do so I shall do my best to provide this for you._

_From what I can assume, as a magical being you need a mate since no other person alive could possibly match the compatibility that you feel. Having only two choices is not something that I envy._

_Your first mate is someone I knew as a child. Believe it or not it was Severus Snape that first told your mother that she was a witch. He was watching us as we played in a playground nearby our home and saw as Lily managed to float after she jumped off the swing. Immediately, Lily was entranced by the magic he could show her. She was so excited. I know that they became close friends but I could see that Severus always wanted something more from her. Whether this was his love for Lily or his love for the child that she would bear I could not tell you. I can only tell you how I saw Severus as a child._

_Severus was raised in a tough family and as such he now has a harsh demeanour. He would be perfect for that position as a spy because he always hid his most secretive expressions when people were paying attention to him. The moment he thought no one was watching he would scowl or glare. I have never truly seen him happy except when he was around your mother._

_I could easily believe that he would be horrid and torment you. If he truly loved Lily then you are the representation of what he lost and what he shall never have. After all though had many features of James Potter it was essentially Lily that he was staring at every time he met your eyes._

_As for this Dark Lord, I'm afraid that I can't be much help. I do not know him and if beliefs are correct then neither do you. After all you have only heard what Dumbledore and the Order desire you to hear. Is there anything about him that you know for certain didn't come from Dumbledore? That would be everything that you know he is._

_With the Dark Lord, I think (if you choose him) that you should ask about the numerous points that he has affected your life and discuss them. That way you can at least work past the few differences that you might have. If you do nothing then the thoughts shall continue to plague you until you can no longer handle them anymore. The same could be said for Snape but that is your decision._

_Unfortunately I can't give any more thoughts on the matter as I do not know the situation in the Wizarding World accurately enough. However this is what I believe you should do concerning this turn of events._

_You need to figure out what is truly important in your life and work with that. It does not matter what your mates believe or your family believe only what you believe after all it is you that is making the decision not them. Make the decision based on what you believe and you shan't regret anything._

_Do not forget that at any time should you need help or advice I shall be here._

_Love from,_

_Petunia Dursley_

_-x-_

The letter fluttered to the mattress as tears stained his face. Silas was simply so overjoyed that Petunia had written back to him. Not only that but she had answered many of the questions and problems that he had posed in his letter. He couldn't quite believe that she had actually done it but the proof was lying before him.

Everything she had said made him feel lighter in a way. Whether it was the way she had spoken of her life at Privet Drive or the way she spoke of his troubles, Silas wasn't sure. All he knew was that her words began placing everything into perspective.

Severus was exactly who Silas knew him to be. He was snarky and a complete bastard. A good spy, Severus Snape was but a decent mate, he definitely was not. Snape would never be able to look after him in the way that his Nymph desired. The man was simply too determined to do everything his way. Keeping himself safe was his main priority. Everyone else would come second… everyone except Lily Potter.

Silas could easily believe that Severus was still pining after Lily especially now. Not only did he have her eyes but her hair. He was practically a living male version of what he had lost and with the last meeting between them he could confirm this.

Snape hadn't been able to stop looking at him even for a second. Silas knew that he looked a lot like his mother know and that was what attracted Snape to him. If instead he had the Malfoy hair and eyes, Snape wouldn't have even taken a second glance. But since he looked like his lost love, how could he say no? It was practically Snape's second chance with Lily and though Silas knew Snape would not screw that up it wouldn't be right. Snape would still be in love with his mother and not him.

Then on the other hand there was the Dark Lord. As Petunia had explained, Silas truly didn't know anything about the Dark Lord. All he knew was what Dumbledore and the Order had told him. Even the night Voldemort had killed his mother was pieced together with Dumbledore's understanding and his own.

Dumbledore had told him that Voldemort didn't feel mercy. That he killed without thought. Insanity could do that to you, as he had explained. However when the Dementors neared him he heard his mother's last moments alive. They were of pleading and Voldemort telling his mother to move. To him that didn't sound like a man that killed without thought.

If those words alone were incorrect, then what else did he have wrong about the Dark Lord? Was he even attempting to kill all of the muggles and muggleborns? What were the desires and goals of the Dark Lord?

Silas shook his head. He really needed more information on that. However he had said that he would stay away from Wizarding politics until he had his mate so he was sort of stuck. He needed to choose a mate before he even got close to any of that.

Petunia had said that to choose between the two he should base his decision on his beliefs. So the real question was, what did he believe in?

Light or Dark weren't even a concern there. He truly cared for neither since his loyalty would forever be with his mate. He couldn't choose one or the other without knowing what his mate desired. Besides the Light side had wanted to use him for his abilities and the Dark side had wanted to kill him for his abilities. With the Nymph blood activating in him everything had changed there anyway. Silas grumbled, stupid Nymph side.

He believed… he believed in family.

Family was the one thing that he had always wanted. He had always known that family would go to any lengths for another member where friends wouldn't do the same. Mrs Weasley would do anything for any of her seven children. But when it came to Silas or well Harry there would always be a limit. There would be a limit to how much she would do for him, how much she cared. That was something he had always known.

But now he had family. He had a family of his own and though he wasn't related to all of them by blood they treated him the same. Lucius always took care of his problems that were related to those idiots at the Ministry. Narcissa calmed him when he was upset or cooked with him in the kitchen. Draco would always play with him, study with him. They were always there for him when he thought he'd had no one and he didn't want to ruin what he had with them over Severus Snape.

That was it. Silas had made his decision. The Dark Lord, the one that had attempted to kill him numerous times, was to be his mate. He would speak to the Dark Lord and everything would be sorted. He wouldn't give up on his family and he would be happy with his mate. Everything would work out that way. For once in his life he would be happy.

Like clockwork, the skies cleared and allowed the sun to shine without any chance to hide behind a cloud. Blue sky stretched for all to see while Silas smiled and his green eyes sparkled with new life.

Standing, Silas moved towards the window to soak up some of the sun's rays. It was marvellous to be able to feel the sunlight upon his skin, warming it up. Merlin, he hadn't felt this great in a long time and he was going to enjoy every little bit of it. He wasn't going to hide away from his life. He would live it how his mate desired him to.

A knock at his door brought him back to reality. He still needed to meet with the Dark Lord first.

"Silas," Draco called from the other side of the door.

He could hear the slight worry in his brother's voice but there was truly no need for it. They wouldn't have to worry about him as much any longer. Everything would be fine.

"Yes Draco, what is it?"

Silas watched his brother enter the room and survey the skies outside before looking upon his face. He could tell that his brother was slight suspicious as to the nature of his bright mood but he could care less.

"Father, mother and I were wondering what has you in such an excellent mood. We haven't witnessed clear skies like this in a long time, little brother."

"I've located my other mate, Draco. However I needed to have an outside opinion on what I should do, so I had to wait until well if they replied to my letter. But they did and they told me exactly what I needed to hear." Silas explained.

"Is that so? What do you plan on doing now?"

Draco was worried that his brother had gone and chosen his godfather, Severus, as his mate. The family would not be pleased at that turn of events after keeping them apart for so long. Severus had become a menace towards his little brother and he wouldn't stand for it if he had chosen as such.

"Draco, I plan on visiting the Dark Lord and his Inner Circle."

Silas smiled as his brother relaxed and brought him into a hug. Ye, everything would be fine… for now.

* * *

**So it has been ages since I have updated this. I finally got around the writer's block for this chapter and everything should move smoothly for here but don't hold me on that. **

**Thank you all for being so patient. Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter.**

**~MidnightEmber**


	11. Chapter 11

**~ Chapter Eleven ~**

The Order was not happy. Their headquarters had been taken over and what they had to choose from was The Burrow or some long forgotten ruin that no one ever used. The Burrow had easily been their first choice just not a happy one. Now they were all seated somewhere around the cramped kitchen as the meeting began.

"This evening's discussion shall begin with Harry Potter." Dumbledore began, a quill taking everything said down for later documentation.

Harry Potter was often a topic of great debate amongst their group. Some believed that he had already joined the Dark Side abandoning the right cause. Others however believed he had been forced to go with the Malfoy's and was in need of rescuing before the 'poor dear' managed to find harm.

"Harry hasn't contacted any of his friends. Ron, Hermione and Ginny have expressed concern that he isn't speaking to them any longer. It doesn't help that their owls don't even leave when they attempt to send anything. The poor boy must be in all sorts of trouble." Molly sobbed.

Arthur gave her a pat on the shoulder but it seemed very awkward as if he didn't really want to comfort her for Harry. No one commented though.

"Has anyone heard word from him?" Albus enquired.

Negatives were replied all round. No one had heard from Harry since he had been staying at Grimmauld and that had been at least a week ago now.

"No one would have been able to send anything if the Malfoy wards have barred anything sent by someone in the Order. They would automatically reject anything from the Order regardless as the wards would have picked up that they came from an enemy to the Malfoy's." Severus spat. "Of course it probably doesn't help that those imbeciles addressed the mail to 'Harry Potter' who doesn't legally exist anymore. They would have to write to Silas Malfoy."

The group grumbled at the information Severus gave them. To them he had always been Harry Potter and that was how he would remain. To call him otherwise would simply be to strange especially since they couldn't have a Boy-Who-Lived sired by a Malfoy. Not many people would back them. Unfortunately, they had to call him such in fear of his or his new family's wrath.

"If no one has any other information than I would like Severus to continue."

People muttered but allowed it. Even if Snape was on their side he was still despised by many and not trusted to give them the correct information or all of it.

"Because of Silas Malfoy, I am no longer permitted to attend Death Eater meetings or Malfoy Manor. However I shall inform you of what I heard before I was revealed." Snape explained to them. "The Dark Lord is aware of many atrocities that occurred in young Mr Malfoy's previous life including the abuse done by his magical and muggle guardians."

Many protested this. They hadn't ever harmed the boy. The boy had spent most of his time at the Dursley residence anyway. No magical abuse had been given to the boy that they were aware and to say such a thing was outrageous. The Order of the Phoenix would never harm the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Regrettably for you, the Ministry believes otherwise so I wouldn't bring it up in conversation in public. It could turn out disastrous. Now, everyone discovered that Silas is a Water Nymph through Lily's bloodline, who that bloodline belonged to I couldn't tell you since it wasn't mentioned." He continued. "I have the dubious honour of being his Light mate, who his dark mate is they should be discovering any day now."

Many were shocked by the end of Snape's little rant. They should have offered more support to the child if he was having such a rough life but they hadn't thought. The group had assumed that since he was the Boy-Who-Lived, he could take care of any emotional burden on his own. Everyone had screwed up. They had caused a rare Water Nymph to turn away from them.

"How will that be done, Severus?" Dumbledore enquired.

They couldn't have Harry- Silas- choosing his Dark mate instead of his Light. That would be even more disastrous for them. Silas would never return to the Light should that occur.

"The Dark Lord is having Silas tested without his consent. He is practically parading his loyal pets around Silas to see if he reacts to them. Whoever Silas reacts to that person shall be his Dark mate. Do not allow your hopes to soar either, headmaster. If he doesn't locate his Dark mate, Lucius will be taking him overseas until the person is found. The best we can hope for is that he doesn't locate his Dark mate and he remains neutral."

The Order was disappointed with that. They had a rare Water Nymph in their grasp and they had lost it. Now their only chance remained with the very man that they didn't trust with their own lives. How was an ex-spy meant to sway a Nymph when said Nymph knew what he had done?

"What of you Severus? Couldn't you attempt to sway him?"

"I rejected him without knowing what I was doing. According to Lucius, I now take a backseat in his thoughts. His other mate is now allowed a chance and if he doesn't succeed I can have another chance. Until then I will not know." Snape murmured.

Dumbledore sighed. Nothing was working as well as he had first hoped. He had wanted to be teaching Harry about Tom Riddle's past and about those blasted Horcruxes. That wouldn't work now and he wouldn't be able to have Harry killed off either. Nothing was working! He needed to have Harry Potter back on their side. It appeared as if Severus was their only chance to get Harry back.

"We shall have to attempt to sway him back to our side and allow Severus to do what is needed." Dumbledore finally instructed them all.

"Firstly, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley shall have to apologize for their actions whatever they may be and continue to keep their little trio together. That should stabilize his emotions enough to allow Severus into his life. Miss Weasley will no longer be able to fantasize about becoming Mrs Potter. You need to persuade her away from the topic. Everyone else shall have to write letters of apology and send them to him through his friends or through Severus."

Yes, that would mend many bridges. With Granger and Weasley keeping track of him and Severus keeping him in check, he should have ample time to get him to learn everything that is needed for Harry Potter to destroy Voldemort.

"Is that understood by all?"

Everyone easily accepted this. Though they weren't sure how they would do it, it would be done for their cause. The Order desperately needed Harry Potter and if this was the way that he would return to them it wouldn't be a problem.

"Is there anything else we must speak of in concerning to the Order before we adjourn this meeting?" Albus enquired, his grandfatherly voice soothing them all.

Remus nodded, drawing attention to him.

"I'm worried that if Har- Silas sides with the You-Know-Who that the other creatures will as well."

Albus frowned.

"Why do you believe this?"

"It's just, Nymph's of any kind are highly respected in creature circles, regardless of what those circles are. If Ha- Silas has chosen the Dark they will know that is the side they should choose."

The Order broke out into chaos. This hadn't been explained to them at all within the books they had scrounged to find information in. What did they know that normal humans didn't?

"Remus, are you certain of this information?"

"Yes Albus, the mere news that a Nymph has come into it inheritance was made known before we were informed. If a Nymph feels threatened by any group of people or creatures it will reject them and though a slow process, many other creatures will now instantly which side a Nymph has chosen to accept and which it has chosen to discard out of threat."

"This is dire news!" Albus called out over the Order to be heard. "We need to right this wrong with Harry as soon as possible. We can't let this opportunity to go."

"Wouldn't Harry reject the Dark side because You-Know-Who killed his parents?" Tonks asked.

"Not necessarily, his father is also loyal to You-Know-Who. If he truly wants to be part of the Malfoy family then he would ignore that fact until it needed to be addressed." Remus informed them.

Everything goes from bad to worse, Albus moaned. He needed to right this now.

"We will all work as swiftly as possible to fix the relationship between Harry and the Order. The Order can't afford to lose Harry this way and also the possibilities of allies. Are we all understood?"

Everyone nodded their acceptance each understanding the importance of this move. They couldn't afford to lose Harry Potter, if they did they might as well have lost the entire war.

x-x-x-x-x

Silas couldn't quite believe he was about to do this. He was about to face the Dark Lord and tell him that he was the mate to a Water Nymph. There was an urgency in him now that he had finally agreed to allow Draco, Lucius and Narcissa take him to see the Dark Lord and Inner Circle.

It was always there, his Nymph, urging him to simply run into the man's arms and make him see the truth. However it would never be that simple, not with him. After all, the ex-Boy-Who-Lived was going to be mated to the Dark Lord. It would be a huge effort to accept for both of them.

Oh, he remembered quite well how he had figured out the Dark Lord of all people was his mate. For him, of course, it would never be difficult.

Much like when he had seen Snape, his magic burned through his blood, yearning for the man. Voldemort had only taken several steps into the library to speak with one of his Death Eaters but that was all that was needed. The rush that Harry felt was exhilarating and accompanied with the burn of his magic it overwhelmed him. Yet at the same time, Harry could tell that this feeling was different from the feeling he received from Snape.

With Snape the feeling had been light and bubbly as if he was almost floating amongst the clouds on a warm day. It wasn't very comforting instead almost freeing in a way. He instantly knew that Snape was his Light mate since the feeling hadn't been very domineering. Voldemort though, Harry shivered. His presence wrapped around him like the warmth of a blanket. It was tight and surrounded him making him feel secure even when he was out in the open surrounded by a group of Death Eaters. That was certainly a change.

That day in the library had been a real eye opener for him. He'd been given such a difficult choice and the only thing that truly comforted him was Nye. He could only hope that, unlike Snape, Voldemort didn't shut him down before he could even utter a word to the man.

Currently, he was waiting with Nye in his arms for the remainder of the Malfoy family to get to the front entrance. They were going to apparate to Riddle Manor and of course they were taking their freaking time with it as well.

With all of this waiting, Silas was beginning to get nervous. Wasn't it bad enough that he was about to face the greatest Dark Wizard of all time? No his family had to give him time to think about what he was to say, certainly not something he had dwelled on until this point.

But honestly, what was he meant to say? It was going to be awkward enough with the entire Inner Circle and his family present. Should he just come out and say it directly like he would have in his past? Somehow he doubted that would be taken well by a group of proud Slytherins. Should his Slytherin side take charge then and get the Dark Lord alone? Then he was bound to get jealous Death Eaters. He simply didn't know what to do.

"Silas are you ready to leave?"

He jumped a foot in the air before realizing it was merely just his father. Nye growled at being jostled so suddenly. Patting Nye to comfort him, Silas nodded. He wasn't really prepared to face the Dark Lord but this was it. There was no turning back now. He had made his decision and he would live by the consequences.

"Yes father, let's get this over with."

Lucius could tell that his son was nervous. This decision was the biggest he would make in his life. If he had inherited the Malfoy gene instead of the Baltimore then it wouldn't have been so difficult on him. Silas would have been able to choose his own mate from his own criteria. However luck didn't favour genetics so he would need to work through this and his family would be by his side every step of the way.

"Come." Lucius said voice soft to comfort his son.

Silas was led out of the manor and to the apparition spot for their location. Narcissa and Draco followed behind them. Nye was, as always, the only thing keeping him calm. A single crack and the feeling of being dragged through a tiny pipe and they were there. He wished that it had taken much longer.

The Riddle House looked as imposing as ever much to Silas' concern. It wasn't a very welcoming house and his Nymph didn't like it. If he were to ever have children then he certainly wouldn't be raising them in this dump with the memory of Cedric's death always plaguing his thoughts. No, this place certainly wouldn't do.

Silas shook his head. What in the love of Merlin? He shouldn't be thinking of such things now. He hadn't even told the Dark Lord yet he was to be his mate. Argh! This was so frustrating. He couldn't wait for his Nymph to finally settle down. The Dark Lord had better accept him or he wouldn't be sane enough to live with.

The walk in was short. The walk to the Dining Room where everyone was gathered was even shorter. Everyone was silent as he entered, very aware that the child had been abused by muggles and magical beings alike. They didn't want to scare the poor child off and have him running back to that environment.

The Malfoy family took their places near the top of the table. Lucius and Draco gave up their seats to Silas and Narcissa like tradition stated. This may have been an informal meeting but they practiced this every day and didn't want to shirk their duties as purebloods like so many others had.

Lucius had his hand steadying Silas while Narcissa held his hand supportively. Neither wanted to let him go.

"You have some information to tell us young Malfoy." The Dark Lord began sitting forward.

Everyone was eager to hear what he had to say. Merely thinking about being the blessed mate of a Nymph was proving to be the undoing of some. They weren't thinking straight and they certainly weren't doing their appointed tasks. The Dark Lord hoped that whoever Silas had chosen would be up for the job.

"My mate though in the room, doesn't belong to the Inner Circle." Silas informed them, his eyes looking anywhere but at the Dark Lord.

Silence followed. The entire room was confused. If his mate was in the room but wasn't part of the Inner Circle who was he? The Dark Lord frowned. He wasn't entirely positive about what had just occurred. He had certainly heard young Silas say his mate was present at the table but wasn't part of the Circle. Truly that only left him and by the way Silas was avoiding his gaze he would say he assumed correctly.

It was almost absurd in a way. Whoever could have imagined that the once Boy-Who-Lived was mated to the Dark Lord, the very being that murdered his mother and step-father. What else was there to say on this? Could he really accept that Silas was to be his after everything had occurred between them?

In the end, he didn't have enough information to make an accurate decision. He could simply choose to send the boy away but that would leave him at the tender mercy of his other mate. The other thing screaming at him was the fact Silas was a rare Nymph. He had always collected trophies of important things to him and Silas as his mate would be one of the most important things in his life. Voldemort knew he couldn't treat Silas like a trophy but he could be just as possessive.

Standing, the Dark Lord motioned for Silas, "Come, Silas, we shall leave for my study to speak on this further."

Silas felt Lucius clench his hand on his shoulder. His father didn't want him out of his sight even if it would be merely with his Lord. There was nothing for it though. They were in the Dark Lord's territory now and they had to listen to what he said or face punishment.

Allowing Nye to jump on his shoulder, Silas smiled reassuringly towards his father and walked towards the Dark Lord. There was no glance between them. Silas couldn't stomach it yet. The Dark Lord had obviously figured it out long before his Death Eaters but that didn't mean he would accept it. If he was rejected again, he wasn't sure what he would do.

As Silas was led away Narcissa gasped. It couldn't be, could it?

"What is it Cissy?" Bellatrix cackled.

"I think Silas is the Dark Lord's mate." She whispered, staring at their retreating figures.

Everything that Silas had said made sense, suddenly. The Dark Lord was the only person amongst them that would fit his requirements. In fact, he was perfect for Silas and much more suitable than Severus.

Narcissa glanced up at Lucius, worried at his reaction. He couldn't have taken it well that his youngest son was to be mated to that man. They feared and respected him but didn't believe he would make an appropriate mate.

"We can only hope that Silas knows what he is doing." Lucius spoke.

x-x-x-x-x

When Silas had been ushered into the Dark Lord's study, he wasn't sure what he was meant to do with himself. Nye was perfectly happy sleeping along the back of his neck however he was another thing entirely. Eventually he decided to take the chair opposite the Dark Lord. It was a very formal setting but he doubted the Dark Lord wanted anything romantically inclined to do with him currently.

The silence within the room was terrible. You could practically hear the clock down the hall slowly ticking away seconds. It was unbearable. This had always been the one thing that unsettled him the most. Yet he wasn't positive if he wanted to hear the man speak. If he did, all of his hopes could come crashing down around his ears.

"Am I your mate?"

"Yes." The answer was spoken quietly but seemed loud within the room.

The Dark Lord leaned back and crossed his fingers under his chin. It looked so foreign and aristocratic at the same time that Silas stared openly. This fingers were rather long and thin like a pianists though many had often labelled them as spidery.

"I am curious. Why did you think I would make a more suitable mate than Severus Snape?"

Silas didn't think before he started to speak his mind. He had a chance and he was going to take it. This wouldn't be a recurrence of Severus Snape, he wouldn't allow it!

"It took me awhile to think about this. I even wrote to my Aunt to ask for an outside opinion but everything kept returning to the same points. I don't trust the Order or Snape where as I had my family supporting you and offering me assistance in whatever I decided to do. The choice I made was one based on my beliefs of family knowing that choosing either way would be difficult for me and my mate."

He watched as the Dark Lord retreated into his mind to think. It was a little disconcerting watching as Voldemort simply sat to think and nothing else. This side of him wasn't something he was familiar with so it bought along a number of insecurities that he didn't really want to currently deal with, the most prominent of these being rejection.

Throughout his entire life, rejection had always played a huge part. His Aunt, Uncle and cousin rejected him for being a 'freak'. They never would allow him to be normal for he wasn't. If they thought he would infect the other normal children with his freakishness then they should have just left him at some orphanage. He might have actually had a friend then.

The next form of rejection was from his Primary School teachers. They were never really much help. When the children, Dudley's gang, decided to chase him the teachers would always look the other way knowing what was occurring before their eyes. To them however he was clearly some poor child that didn't have a very wealthy family. Little did they know that he was Dudley's cousin and lived with the bastard every single day. No, he was always told to walk to and from school and if anyone ever asked to meet his guardian he was told not to mention them. Teachers simply learnt he was a hopeless case and left him be.

Teachers, it had appeared, would be a common form of rejection for him. McGonagall rejected his beliefs about the Philosopher's Stone. Snape rejected the belief that he wasn't like his father. Dumbledore rejected the belief that until a few weeks ago he had been abused at Privet Drive. It went on and on including more people who rejected any tiny piece of him they could find. Friends, family, he didn't really have any of those before he became aware of his Nymph status. Then everyone wanted him for something and he was the one to reject them all.

So through all of this he feared that his mate, sitting before him, would reject him like the rest. Even his first discovered mate had rejected him so he wasn't feeling to optimistic about this. Nye, Hedwig and his current family were all he currently allowed into his heart and even then he believed it all too good to be true.

Shaking his head from depressing thoughts, he focused on the room. It was pleasant, nothing like the dark imagery he had imagined it to be. There were no portraits on the walls though he didn't expect there to be. Instead books lined every span of the wall except for the small amount of room allocated for a fireplace. Above the mantle there was only a pot of floo powder. Nothing else really stood out. The room had no personality of its own. It felt dead and utterly dull not something that he enjoyed terribly.

The Dark Lord cleared his throat. Silas snapped his attention back to his mate, blushing at being caught glancing so obviously around the room.

"Young Mr Malfoy, what is it that would be anticipated of me if I accept to being your mate?" he queried.

Silas blushed. He certainly hadn't been expecting that but welcomed it nonetheless. It gave him hope.

"The bonding between a Nymph, any Nymph, and his mate is slow allowing both people in the bonding to become comfortable around each other. There are three stages we would have to go through to fully complete the bonding should you chose to accept. The first bonding requires a physical connection of intimacy to acknowledge the mate." Silas started.

"In other words I would either need to touch you in a place only a mate would touch you or we could simply share in a kiss."

The blush was persistent and Silas had a feeling it would be stubborn to be rid of. He'd never been put into this sort of position and it wasn't very comfortable.

"Yes, that would suffice for the first bond. Now the second bond is harder to establish and takes time to make it progress. It is the emotional bond. This would be shown through many means. Gifts would be the easiest yet would take the longest to establish the bond. Speaking to one another regularly would be the most difficult but the swiftest to get through. My mother suggested a combination of those two with the added dates to get thought it as swiftly as possible."

The Dark Lord didn't interrupt him this time so Silas continued to speak of the third bond, his blush darkening.

"The third bond is the last. It requires both a physical and emotional connection to complete."

He didn't say any more but he knew the Dark Lord was amused at his shyness when it came to the topic of sex. Silas was still very much a virgin. That wouldn't change until he accepted one of his mates and allowed them to court him. Lucius wouldn't allow it any other way regardless of who his mate was. Silas loved him very much for this thought Draco thought it was utterly unfair.

"Silas what do you want from me?"

The question shocked him. Not many people took their opinions into account when considering mates. They merely agreed and went about it their own way. The Dark Lord was different. He was asking so many questions that Silas was actually glad that he had picked him as his future mate. Now if only he could get the Dark Lord to agree to it. He was perfect.

"When looking for a mate, I looked for someone with great power of the mind, magic and of the body. I want them to be able to protect me from everything that comes our way. No longer do I want to be on the front lines battling through something I no longer desire to do. I want them to take care of me, to love me. They need to listen when I speak and speak when I listen and most importantly I want them to support me when I feel weak." Silas said staring at his hands.

Voldemort watched him. Silas was definitely a submissive. He may have acted well as a very dominant Harry Potter but that's all that it was an act. His young man before him wouldn't be able to become dominant if his life depended on it. No he needed someone to rely on to be powerful for the both of them. With that in mind, the Dark Lord gave his answer.

"I agree to become your mate, Silas Malfoy."

Silas head snapped up, eyes wide in shock. He couldn't believe it. The man actually agreed to become his… this man…

"You agree?" he asked to be certain he wasn't hearing things.

"Yes Silas, I have deemed you worthy enough to become mine."

Silas laughed. They both knew it was him that was chosen, not the other way around and yet neither cared. They could feel the beginning of the bond. It was so faint but it was present and Silas wanted nothing more than to complete it instantly. He knew it wasn't possible but he wanted it nevertheless.

"Now isn't there something we are missing?"

Silas looked up at his mate curiously.

"What are we missing?"

Voldemort chuckled. It would seem that his little mate was a lot more innocent than he had first assumed. Beckoning him forward, he pushed his chair back just as Silas stood and made his way towards him. Without any restraint the Dark Lord pulled Silas into his lap. The wide eyes that greeted him were well worth it.

"What was the first bond Silas?" he questioned, already anticipating the answer.

"Physical contact…" the young Malfoy trailed off.

His breath hitched. The Dark Lord actually planned on kissing him, right here, in his office! Oh Merlin, he did! Silas sat tensely and watched as the Dark Lord's lips descended upon him. He was sure what he had been expecting but what he had received wasn't it.

Silas didn't know why he had never kissed someone before. It was amazing. Voldemort's lips were merely pressed against his. He knew that this was the very basics of what they could have been doing in that position but knew the man wouldn't push him. Yet even still it was amazing. The magic between them sparked with electricity, intertwining with each other. Silas wasn't very knowledgeable about these things but he thought this kiss was simply magical.

Every now and then they would move slightly, gently against each other allowing the magic to sweep them away. This feeling Silas received from this act alone was a high. The bond solidified and hummed contently beneath their skin as they finally broke apart.

"What do I call you now?" Silas asked remaining in the man's lap.

He knew better to call the man Tom or Riddle. But he didn't want to constantly call the man Voldemort or the Dark Lord. It wasn't very intimate and that was what they needed next, emotional intimacy.

The Dark Lord frowned.

"I suppose Marvolo would be most suitable."

Silas agreed happily.

"What is going to happen now that we have each accepted this?"

Marvolo smirked. The first thing on his mind was elimination his Nymph's other mate. He couldn't stand the thought of having that man anywhere near Silas. If he did approach Silas, it wasn't likely to go down well between them.

"Severus shall die."

It was three words to test what Silas thought. If his mate wasn't satisfied with his decision then they would be having words. He wouldn't stand it for Severus to remain in the picture. Yet Silas didn't react. He sat calmly and accepting.

"Marvolo, that man isn't someone I want to be around. Father had him removed from the property because he was harassing me. If you killed him I would have no qualms about it."

He smirked. His little mate would allow him to harm the other. Excellent, that was excellent news.

"I will have him killed with the Order members. On second thought, perhaps I shall kill him off sooner than that. It would just be one less thing to think about when I rule over Wizarding Britain."

Silas lost his mate to his thoughts once again. He had a feeling that though not done in public he lost himself in thought a lot in private. It was endearing to watch especially since his mate wasn't even aware of his watching. Nye gave a yip as if agreeing with his statement. He laughed. Just being around the man, sitting on his lap, it relaxed him in ways he never thought possible. Silas loved it.

"Have you returned to yourself now?" he teased as the Dark Lord's eyes focused on him.

He didn't comment.

"The next item of question would be your schooling. It won't happen at Hogwarts ever again."

Though disappointed, Silas had a feeling that Marvolo would decide that. He didn't fight it. Silas was smart enough to realize that if he returned he would only be hounded by the Order and his other mate, especially his other mate. That wasn't something he particularly desired. It would make Hogwarts more of a prison than a home.

"I understand, Marvolo. I can be home schooled. I'm sure given the circumstances, father would allow it." He replied happily snuggling into the Dark Lord's chest.

"You will still be allowed to travel to Diagon Alley with your brother." Marvolo muttered in Silas' ear.

"Will I still live with father and Cissa?" he asked.

"Of course, Silas, I won't be taking you from them just yet. However you will visit me when your father is summoned."

Silas smiled. The Dark Lord gave him freedom while the bond was still weak. As it grew stronger he wouldn't feel the same way so Silas merely decided to enjoy it while he still could.

"Now my little Nymph, we should return to the meeting. I'm sure your family's worried for you."

Standing, Silas allowed the Dark Lord to lead him back to the meeting room where everyone remained seated exactly where they had been when they had left. Silas was returned to his seat and his father's hand returned to his shoulder. There was a proud smile on his face however that told him everyone in the room already knew who his mate was.

"I have claimed Silas Malfoy as my mate, no one else shall harm him. He is under my protection yet will not carry my mark." The Dark Lord warned his followers. "I expect that you will protect his life as you would mine for he is mine and no one else shall have him."

It was dark and tense but everyone understood Silas was not to be touched by anyone other than his family. That also meant they would be allowed to strike out at Light wizards and witches that dared to touch approach him. Silas Malfoy would be fun to be around in Diagon Alley come the following days and they all thoroughly agreed that he would be the best suited for their Lord.

After the meeting, the Malfoy family left as a group, happy with how everything had turned out. Silas had moved their entire family up in the Dark Lord's books. Sure Lucius had been his right hand man but now even Narcissa and Draco would be well known for their connection to Silas. Yet to them that didn't matter as much as his choice. It had been based on his family. Silas had chosen to remain with his family and join the dark rather than return to the light. Their youngest had chosen a side, the side with his family and they were much closer because of it.

* * *

**So now they know who both mates are. Thank you for all the reviews. As such here is another clue to my first name competition.**

**Clue05: The first initial of my name is the same as the main character in this story. **

**Good Luck**

**~MidnightEmber**


	12. Chapter 12

**~ Chapter Twelve ~**

Diagon Alley was as Silas remembered it. From what he understood from his parents, the Alley never changed. Stores were occasionally added amongst the havoc that created the Alley but other than that nothing was ever altered. Ollivanders' supposedly had been there for nearly as long as Gringotts and no one knew when that had first appeared what with its numerous underground winding tunnels. However this experience was entirely different to anything he'd had before.

This year he was entering the Alley with his family. Sure people turned to stare at him. He was after all the latest member of the prestigious Malfoy family however he was by far used to that. No he was surrounded by his family and that love and protection couldn't be given by anyone else in the world. It couldn't be faked either. It was a bond that had to be developed between them and he'd never experienced anything like it before. He revelled in it every possible chance.

The sky above the Alley was mostly clear indicating his pleased state to those that knew what he could do. If anything it kept his family pleased as well. Knowing that Silas loved being around them filled them with a great sense of accomplishment. They were obviously raising him correctly if he was kept happy constantly. Nothing could have been a greater compliment from a Water Nymph.

Even so they were wary not of him but of the numerous people that would attempt to sway his decision. Silas wouldn't stand for something like that. Since he had chosen a side he hadn't cared to think about anything else. All that mattered was his family and the Dark. Nothing else registered for Silas as important. He had what he needed to keep him happy and that was all that counted.

Silas stared around at everything in newfound awe not entirely positive of what he wanted to do first. Whenever he had come with friends they just milled around the street only gathering what the needed before returning to the Leaky Cauldron. It hadn't really been very adventurous. Now however he wanted to go into stores he'd never ventured through just for curiosity. He knew that his brother would keep him safe if they ran into anything troublesome and he wasn't exactly helpless himself.

Sensing Silas' thoughts, Narcissa interrupted before he got carried away.

"We'll start with gathering the necessities I believe. Then we can spend the remainder of the day relaxing. How does that sound?" Narcissa suggested.

Silas and Draco agreed easily and they were off instantly into the crowd, Lucius and Narcissa following at a more sedate pace. They knew they weren't acting likely they typically did but this was Silas' first time with them on an outing so they weren't about to ruin his exuberance by forcing him to act to the level they expected of him. No this once they would allow the display if nothing more than to give everyone an excellent opinion of them. They could be formal after all but there was a gentle and relaxed side to their little family.

"Do we not need to visit Gringotts?" Silas questioned, glancing back at them.

"No, we have all the money we need unless there was another reason you desired to make a trip?" Lucius asked.

Silas was about to shrug but thought better of it. He was certain that though they were allowed to relax they weren't allowed to completely act out, so he replied,

"No, I was merely curious."

Narcissa laughed as she spotted Silas' pout. It was too adorable. The Dark Lord would probably kill everyone who had seen it if he could. The man was beginning to get that protective of the teen and they had merely met the once since the change. As it was he' nearly joined them on their expedition today however Lucius had managed to make him see sense. The Dark Lord couldn't merely wander the streets even if the bond was new.

Together they moved as one towards the Potions' Store. Lucius and Narcissa had known that there would have been a chance that Severus could be within. However since no one had known of their journey plans and it was well known that Severus usually slept in on weekends because of his potion making timetable, they had risked it.

Their assumption had been accurate. Severus wasn't there so they spent some time wandering around and selecting the correct ingredients Draco would need and also spent some time gathering ingredients for their own store supply at the manor. Silas would still be able to learn potions at home that way. They wouldn't need to hire a tutor though what with all Inner Circle Death Eaters having a mastery of some type.

The time they spent in the store wasn't long. They gathered what they needed to and paid for the items before leaving. No one wanted to waste their time within and have the chance to 'accidently' bump into Severus. That wouldn't be a pleasant experience for anyone present.

"Where is it that we're going next?" Silas questioned practically skipping.

They hadn't really spoken that much within the Potions store. All that was said was the list of ingredients needed and then the amount it would cost. He was glad that they had left in a hurry. The atmosphere had been stifling.

"I believe it is Flourish and Blotts next, dear." Narcissa informed him.

The clouds hanging around disappeared completely. Draco smirked. It hadn't been well known that Harry Potter enjoyed reading. He'd only found out whilst spying on him back in third year and even then the joy that spread across his face as he turned every page was something he wouldn't ruin. Now that he was Silas he could actively pursue that desire and joy to read as often as he pleased. Nothing was stopping him. In fact their parents were likely to encourage it greatly since Draco cared little for it.

Draco was only too happy to allow his little brother to drag him along again with their parents in the background. Silas was practically salivating at the thought of more books and any that he could choose. He wouldn't have to limit himself simply because Hermione prided herself on being the knowledgeable one. His passions could now take flight.

"You have a limit of five books extra each and Draco will inform you of the volumes we have at home so you won't double up." Lucius warned as they neared the store.

He had a feeling that if let loose within the store, Silas would attempt to buy everything in sight. While they were wealthy he wasn't going to permit them to go silly with their purchases. He wasn't a smart business man for nothing.

Upon entering Silas wasted very little time. The first thing they did was gather the books Draco would need for the following year. Once that simple task was out of the way it was very simple to just start browsing the numerous rows of books within the store. There was so much knowledge on this shelf and not many people from Hogwarts ever cared enough to take the time to even browse. Pity for them.

Silas walked along the rows of books with Draco following behind him. He was hardly going to allow his brother to simply wander off without knowing where he was going. The Dark Lord would never forgive him if something occurred to him during that time and he'd rather not face a furious Dark Lord.

This however was merely in the back of his mind. Draco watched his brother as he browsed the shelves not really sticking to one section for any length of time. He was obviously searching for something in particular but what he couldn't say. More than likely however it had to do with something relevant to him.

The frown on his face grew. Silas couldn't locate what he was searching for. It was meant to be a simple book but it wasn't here. He'd even looked within the children's section but found nothing. The book was a filled with many tales. His mother had mentioned it when he had read the remainder of her journal. Not many would realize that the book was actually a tale that Nymphs had used in their culture many decades ago. His mother had located one in Potter Manor family but he was sure it wouldn't be there any longer. Lily would have moved it to keep it safe from outside eyes.

To his left he caught a glimpse of some robes and then a startled shriek followed by a crash. He wouldn't need to round that corner to know who that was. The sound was all too familiar to Silas.

"Draco, the Order members are here." He said continuing to glance at the shelves.

"How do you know that?" Draco asked glancing around.

He'd heard the crash but thought nothing of it at the time. How could Silas be certain that crash was from an Order member and not just some person attempting to catch a glimpse of them?

"The sound we heard just before of someone tripping wasn't that hard to mistake. I've heard it before and I know who would make the sound. It was Nymphadora Tonks." Silas explained.

Draco frowned glancing around again. There wasn't anyone with his cousin's description around them. Surely he would notice if his cousin was pocking around. He'd seen photos of her before. She was the oddest girl he'd ever seen and that include that Lovegood girl in Ravenclaw.

"But I don't see anyone like that."

"She maybe your cousin Draco but there is a lot you don't know about the other side of our family when you should. Tonks is a Metamorphmagus. She doesn't need to hide herself with magic merely change her bodies features. However she can't change her own physical characteristics or the way she acts and she's absolutely clumsy. She'd trip over air if nothing else was around." Silas explained.

He certainly hadn't known that. In fact he rather doubted many people knew that fact. That would have been a rather good asset to have as an Auror. It gave her an edge over everyone else. The Dark Lord would need to be informed of this fact in the next meeting.

"Other Order members are likely hiding around here then." He stated.

Silas nodded. "Not necessarily here but in Diagon Alley certainly and more probably the longer we remain."

This didn't bother them however. They knew that the Dark Lord wouldn't allow Silas to travel anywhere without some escort. Even with family there were bound to be at least another few Death Eaters walking around and keeping an eye on Silas. With this they also knew if anything or anyone threatened Silas they were permitted to attack without restraint. To the people surrounding, it would be a massacre.

"Well then we'd better have father pay for these before we move on."

Sighing, Silas agreed. He hadn't managed to locate the book but some things were occasionally more important. As soon as they were finished there they went to collect the other items Draco would need, Silas merely buying the occasional item he would like. He wouldn't need everything Draco had since many of the list's items were already at the manor. Parchment for instance wasn't something he would need unless writing an essay which he didn't find he would be doing.

Upon finishing their shopping, Lucius turned towards them.

"If you have nothing else to do, then we shall be at Origin Garden having lunch." Lucius informed them.

That gave them time to spend with their friends in the afternoon before they had to leave which Draco immediately latched onto. Silas was rather reserved about it however as the sun was still out they took it as a good sign and left the pair alone together for some ice-cream. Draco's friends would arrive soon enough and then they could wander about all they liked.

Draco ordered while Silas saved them a table. When he returned he came back with some strange unusual flavour for him and a simple honeycomb for Silas. He was relieved. Whatever flavour Draco had certainly didn't look very appetizing. They were only interrupted by the sound of a name echoing through the streets.

"Harry!"

"Mate!"

The voices were definitely familiar to them both. Draco and Silas traded looks of annoyance before returning to their ice-cream. They weren't going to be goaded into fighting by them of all people. They had more class than that especially since Lucius had stepped up their learning.

As it happened it wasn't just Granger and Weasley that ran up to them, it was the entire Weasley brood. Even Bill and Charlie were present. It was rather ridiculous since they needn't be there at all. Silas had never met them before for any length of time. In passing perhaps he had recognized them a great deal but they weren't close at all. Draco and Silas chose it ignore their presence even as they began to blather.

"Harry, mate what a coincidence! Never would have thought you would be here today of all days."

"You should have flooed us!" Hermione insisted. "We could have met up at the Leaky Cauldron like we usually do."

Silas could tell that many of the people surrounding them obviously eavesdropping were confused. He no longer at all like Harry Potter so to continue to call him that seemed rather pointless especially when his name was legally Silas Malfoy. They certainly weren't gaining anything by doing so. If anything it only pushed him further away.

The group was obviously waiting for an answer so Silas merely stared at them.

Ginny had stars in her eyes. It was rather frightening when one thought about it. That girl had been obsessed with him from quite some time and now he was no longer available. Did she still believe she would be anything to him? Her mother was rather the same though he rather doubted Molly would want anything to do with him after today. His actions should reveal enough to show he was lost to them.

Hermione appeared as if she wanted to squeeze every single piece of information out of him about Nymphs. It wasn't going to happen. Nymphs didn't speak to outsiders about themselves. Even if she was once a friend he wouldn't speak of it. Only family members were permitted by the Nymph to know their secrets. She wouldn't make the cut.

Ron looked as idiotic as ever. That really didn't surprise Silas at all. He was never really the genius of their group though he was alright with a chess set. It was the only thing he was good for. Now he probably just wanted more fame or something like in fourth year. He wasn't getting it.

The rest of the group was rather lacklustre. They weren't pleased to be there but put on a happy face to keep the remainder of the group pleased. It was a rather sorry sight.

"Oi! Mate we're speaking to you."

It seemed as if Ron had finally lost his patience and was now beginning to get rather annoyed at being ignored for any length of time.

"I'm afraid since my name is Silas and not Harry I didn't have to answer your pleasantries."

Silas spoke in rather a pompous way that only a Malfoy could pull off. Draco however was pleased that he had rebuffed Weasley's words in the appropriate manner for his blood line. Ron of course couldn't let it go however.

"You are Harry though."

"No you imbecile, my brother's name is not Harry. Legally, his name is Silas Malfoy so he doesn't have to answer to you." Draco snarled.

"No one asked you ferret face."

Ron looked to Silas for any pleased reaction but instead found him frowning, the sky darkening around them. He was not happy that his brother was copping this flack when all he did was defend him.

"I think you should leave."

It was really the only warning they were going to get. Nymphs didn't mess around and the people surrounding them could easily tell that Silas wasn't messing around.

"Come on Harry!" They continued. "We need to go and get our things for next year! There's a lot on the list especially in Mione's case."

"We can even go and visit Gred and Forge at their new joke shop!"

Silas growled frustrated that he wasn't getting through to them. It was rather annoying when he really didn't want to speak with them anymore and Draco was silently glaring at everything. They were like cockroaches. They just didn't know when to die… well not exactly the same but it still worked in this case.

"I'm not returning to Hogwarts." He said bluntly.

That silenced them.

"What do you mean, everyone has to attend Hogwarts." Hermione demanded.

"Not if your parents don't permit you to. I'll be home-taught until NEWTS where I take the tests at the Ministry." Silas explained.

"But… no! You have to go to Hogwarts!"

It was the same reply just varied between the group. Oh, he knew exactly why they all wanted him at Hogwarts. It was closer to Severus and Dumbledore. He wasn't stupid. That was the number one reason Marvolo didn't want him going. He didn't want his newly bonded mate to be around another potential mate especially one that was on the opposite side of the war.

"This is all his fault!"

Of course, Silas sighed, Ron just had to bring Draco into the mix.

"Oh and why is that?" he questioned, clouds completely blotting out the sun's light.

"You shouldn't be hanging around Slytherins like him!" Ron spat. "You're a Gryffindor! You shouldn't even be living with them or hoarding your money away. How could you keep all that to yourself when we suffer with hand-me-downs? You should be paying for everything we want. It's not fair."

Many people surrounding them had stopped eavesdropping and were right out staring in disbelief now. No one could believe what the Weasley's were saying. How could people like them walk the streets with their head held high? It wasn't right what they were blabbering on about. They were all appalled.

"I suppose that life debt you owe Silas is still intact correct?" Draco questioned.

They all nodded confused.

"Then Silas can ask whatever he wants of you. It's you who should be begging him not the other way around until the debt is repaid, don't you think?"

That was when everyone within hearing range began to act. They were in outrage.

"You owe this poor child a life debt?"

"How dare you ask anything of him!"

"Low-life's! Get away from the child!"

Horrified by what other witches and wizards were shouting at them, the Weasley's fled the area. They weren't about to remain and attempt to right anything. It would only get them further into trouble and they didn't need to be arrested by Aurors. That would place the Order and Albus Dumbledore in a terrible light and they needed all the aid they could get now with Harry no longer Harry…

Silas allowed a small sigh of relief as they were chased away by surrounding people. He never thought that they would leave. All they ever did was complain and it was tiring. How he had managed to put up with it before was a good question. Never again would it happen and for that he was glad.

"Are you alright Silas?"

Draco had been watching the scattered cloud and he was beginning to worry because the sun wasn't returning. His brother was still depressed and angry.

"I'm simply a little shaken. I hadn't thought they would be that aggressive. It might just take me awhile to calm down." Silas reassured him.

Glancing around, he noticed the people returning and wondered if the mob hadn't chased them out of the Alley entirely. Would probably serve them right if they did, he thought scathingly. However something tiny caught his attention out of the chaos. It was a small bug sitting on their table. Hardly anyone would have recognized it but the tiny circular marks on its head made this particular bug stand out like a beacon.

"Rita." Silas called.

The little bug flew closer towards them. Draco was flummoxed as to why a bug was listening to his brother but waited patiently to see what would happen. The bug landed before his brother and fluttered its wings. Silas blushed slightly. He could tell immediately that was her signature fluttering eyebrows. Shaking himself from his thoughts he immediately, leant forward.

"Rita, I'll make you a deal. If you write any scoop you have on the Weasley's, Dumbledore or anyone from the known Order of the Phoenix including their pet spy, I'll keep you out of Azkaban when Hermione attempts to reveal what you are."

The bug fluttered excitedly doing some obscene dance.

"I'll even provide you with something when you come up dry however it must be all fact to make them look worse. If you lie then people will automatically assume everything else you write will have been a lie and I can't have that."

Draco was overcome by the fact that the bug was listening and responding to his brother. But then it all clicked. This bug was an animagus and someone that Silas knew. Better yet, this bug was a reporter that worked more than likely somewhere everyone could read, the Daily Prophet. His brother was setting the stage to make people turn away from the Order without even really doing anything.

As the bug flew away with a flutter of its wing, Draco turned to Silas.

"That was terribly sneaky of you brother."

"I know, that's also why they won't suspect me. They believe I'm a golden Gryffindor through and through. None of them would even guess that I was behind this." Silas smirked back.

Draco tilted back his head and laughed. It was true. There was no way that those Gryffindor pests would assume it would be Silas and since they believed Draco didn't know about it he wouldn't be on their hit list either. It was absolutely brilliant.

"My Draco it's been a while since we've heard you laugh like that."

Silas shifted closer to his brother, wary of the three before them. He didn't know them but he had heard of them before. Draco however didn't even hesitate before greeting them and turning to make introduction as was proper.

"Silas, this is Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott."

Smiling reassuringly, he turned back to introduce his friends.

"Guys this is my little brother Silas."

Silas didn't say a word. He couldn't really after all what did one say? They had been practically enemies for the longest time and now… now he was meant to befriend them? Was it all that simple?

"Come now Silas we are going shopping." Pansy exclaimed taking his hand.

She knew that he was male but his feminine side that came with being a Nymph would allow for her to drag him around. Besides she didn't really need to have female friends when she had true friends. This group was pretty exclusive and she was glad to be a part of it. And now that Silas was joining she was going to make the best of everything. She would make sure that Silas was welcomed with warm arms.

As Silas was helplessly dragged away, the others couldn't help but be amused. They certainly hadn't believed that Silas would warm up to them that swiftly. The fact that Pansy had taken the initiative was rather hilarious. She normally snubbed everyone.

"Do you think we should follow along in case your brother becomes another dress-up doll?" Theo asked.

"Probably would be for the best." Draco agreed and they moved off.

They spent the afternoon together walking into whatever store they desired to and usually leaving with nothing. The items in Diagon Alley were rather lacklustre compared to some of the things in Knockturn so they really weren't worth the money. Occasionally they would cross a trinket and it would be well worth the money so they would buy one each.

An entire afternoon spent that way had Silas opening up like never before. He'd never really had fun like this. With his other friends he'd just walked into the stores they had wanted to visit because he hadn't really been allowed to wander off. It certainly hadn't been fun but this was pure enjoyment. How could he have never experienced this?

Pansy was the one he had warmed up to the most. His Nymph seemed to approve of having another female in his life other than Narcissa simply because he was practically as close to being female as a male could get. He'd never say it allowed though in fear of being ridiculed. She was relaxing as well because she allowed him to share his opinions as well. Wherever they went she didn't constrict his movements, she allowed him freedom.

Blaise and Theo were alright but he hadn't really spent much time with them. They'd merely trailed behind with Draco speaking on topics that he couldn't hear. He assumed they were nice enough if Pansy could be around them for any length of time however he would need to make that decision himself eventually.

As they walked through the Alley they weren't alone. The Death Eaters and the Order watched every move they made for the remainder of the day. It was unsettling but good to know that while some would rather attack them, they would at least be defended.

"Silas, Draco, it is time we leave." Lucius called.

After waving goodbye to the trio they were leaving behind, they moved towards their parents.

"How did you enjoy your day Silas?" Narcissa asked.

The clouds that had appeared around lunch still hadn't dissipated. They remained hovering overhead a clear sign that his day had been ruined at one stage. It was rather saddening to know when one of your children was suffering especially with such obvious signs hanging about.

Silas still smiled when he was asked. "I enjoyed myself for the most part."

"The Weasley's made a surprise appearance and attempted to drag him away before a mob chased them away." Draco filled in.

"Are you sure you're alright, Silas?" Narcissa questioned as they neared the floo.

He nodded. "I explained to Draco that they just gave me a slight shock I'll be fine once I calm down. There is nothing to worry about."

Even now Lucius could tell that though the dark clouds remained they were beginning to lighten the longer he spent around his family. Perhaps this was a good thing. The more they learnt about Silas' reactions and began to accept them the easier it would be in the long run to know what he was feeling and what they could do about it.

"Very well, after you boys," Lucius spoke.

They smiled and whispered their locations, each flooing out of the Leaky Cauldron and returning home.

x-x-x-x-x

Silas sat in his room. It was by far the largest room he had ever been in but he loved it all the same since it had certain touches that still reminded him of his old self. Items like Hedwig's cage remained near the open glass window. Then there were the items that were entirely new such as the bookshelf that covered an entire wall above his desk. It was brilliant and he loved every piece that revealed his true nature.

Of course the one thing that he loved by far the most was the small fireplace and the jar of floo powder above it. It wasn't meant for travel just talk and he was glad that he had it nearby. Without much of a care he got comfortable and leaned down throwing the floo powder into the fireplace and whispering a name with such care it might have broken if it were shouted.

Marvolo swiftly came into view as usual sitting behind his desk. Upon noticing his mate was calling however he stood and did something he would do for no other, he leaned down beside him.

"Are you busy?" Silas asked.

Marvolo smirked though a calm gleam within his eyes spoke volumes of emotions.

"No, Silas, I am not terribly so why?"

"I just… I wanted to tell you about my day." He said shyly.

He'd desired to tell Marvolo every little detail of his life for a while now. He knew it was the next bond starting to take affect but it was something that he cared little about. If the bond was beginning that was fine. It merely meant that accepting Marvolo as his mate would be much simpler than he had first believed. He had chosen correctly.

"Then speak away, Silas, for you I have eternity."

Silas blushed but spoke to his heart's content.

x-x-x-x-x

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk. His day had been well until now and it didn't appear as if it was about to be improving. Molly Weasley was in his fireplace wailing about Harry Potter. Her shrill tones were enough to wake even the oldest of Headmasters within their frames.

"Albus! It's horrible. Harry won't be returning to Hogwarts this next year. He even refused to be called Harry! He kept going on and on about Silas Malfoy. It was absolutely horrid and then the Malfoy boy started as well and Silas didn't take our side he remained by Malfoy's…"

It was horrid. He should have known better than to trust a Weasley to do what he should have instructed someone else to do. They hadn't listened to him. They hadn't apologized to Silas or used his name to placate him. Instead from what he was being told they had stirred him up and caused a mob to attack them in his defence. This certainly wasn't what he had wanted them to do but that was what he got for putting his faith within a Weasley. They had been too ostracized from pureblood ways to gain any sort of attention from a Malfoy.

"Molly, I will attempt to see if I can't tempt the Board of Governors into forcing him back to Hogwarts."

He wasn't promising anything. Lucius Malfoy was on the Board. There was no way for him to even attempt it but he would try and if he failed then they would need another way to get to the boy. It wasn't the end of the world just that avenue. However it subdued Molly and allowed for him to think as she left.

In truth, even getting close to Silas Malfoy would be increasingly difficult now. If Lucius had decided that Silas was to be home schooled it meant one of two things. He had either found his mate within the Dark Circle or he would continue to search for his mate in his spare time. He was hoping it was the latter for if it was the former then they had no hope of swaying him until Severus had a chance to reach him.

Severus… how was he meant to tell his Potions Master that his potential mate wouldn't be there come the next year? Merlin, he wasn't looking forward to that conversation. He pitied the students upon their return. The man would be insufferable because of this.

Albus sighed. There wasn't really much for it. All he could do was hope that everything would turn out for the best. If not then they would be in trouble. Harry was after all the rallying point on which he had been gaining supporters. Without Harry, he was afraid of what was going to occur. Everything relied on him and he wasn't about to give him up.

* * *

**Woohoo! Another chapter is done. I thank everyone for the reviews! I love you guys so much!**

**~MidnightEmber**


	13. Chapter 13

**~ Chapter Thirteen ~**

Draco had to admit that making this deal with Rita had been pretty ingenious of Silas. At Diagon Alley he had completely forgotten who Rita was. It had escaped his mind to realize that Rita was the same one that he had told numerous points of information to about Harry Potter back in fourth year. Of course, he would rather forget about that now. Silas was family and one didn't make fun of family in public. It just wasn't something done. Family was supportive and that was that.

Rita got to work very swiftly. Within a week of their talk she had already written up an article and sent it to Silas to proofread. Silas hadn't specified that he wanted to read the article before it was published but it gave them a chance to see what was going to be said.

They had been eating breakfast when the letter had arrived. Lucius and Narcissa were elsewhere so the pair of them gathered around the letter and read over it. Surprisingly, it was a rather good write-up.

Rita began with the little tiff she had witnessed at Diagon Alley along with their comments and the comments of other bystanders. She then went on to question why the Weasley's would target Silas specifically even when everyone knew he was no longer Potter. Somehow, Rita managed to make a connection to Dumbledore and the numerous tasks (or rather risks) that he had placed Harry Potter through. The entire thing was marvellous and wrapped up with her questioning Dumbledore and the Weasley's motives for approaching such a well-known and classy member of the Malfoy family who was no longer connected to them.

The entire thing was truthful. There wasn't a single moment where a fact was out of place or a lie told.

"She did really well." Draco commented.

Silas nodded. Rita had done exactly what he had said. It wasn't like her to listen to the truth much less report it but he was glad she had. This could be the start of something big and he was going to make sure she was there every step of the way. The Light wouldn't be able to throw her in jail if he supported her. No one crossed a Malfoy.

"There really wasn't anything I had to change apart from the spelling of a few names." Silas explained.

Draco snorted. Of course Silas would have to make sure every little detail was perfect. Though he guessed at least that was their entire basis covered. The Weasley's and Dumbledore couldn't fault the article at all which meant Rita would be able to write and publish more.

"Should I compliment her on a job well done?" Silas asked.

Honestly, he wasn't certain. This was something he had asked Rita to do. She'd done a good job but this was only the start. What would she expect in the future should he do something like that?

"No, just mention in the reply that it is exactly what you are looking for. That should be enough to entice her for now."

Both knew that she was a rather greedy person. If she couldn't get what she wanted then things started going awry. However considering that they had something rather damaging on her they rather doubted she would tempt her fate and test them far.

Silas nodded and did as Draco instructed. He wasn't going to ask for advice and then just ignore it. No, he would use everything given to him. Once he was finished he turned towards the beautiful owl that had brought him the missive. She was a brown colour that reminded him of a warm hearth that kept a fire within. Just as he was tying the letter to her leg, Lucius walked in.

"Silas, what is that?" their father questioned.

Their father had impeccable timing as always. Silas allowed the owl to fly away before he answered his father.

"We met Rita in Diagon Alley and persuaded her to help us defame the Weasleys, Dumbledore and however else we can think of." Silas admitted.

Truly, there was no point in lying to this man. He would see straight through them. Lucius had always been good and seeing the lies that everyone spoke. Why he hadn't been able to realize Severus was a traitor was beyond him. He questioned it nearly every day.

"I do hope you are taking this in small steps and not moving all out against them?" Lucius remarked.

"Rita started with the moment at Diagon Alley and may have included a few other things." Draco explained.

It was a fairly excellent place to start as it had been in the papers recently. From there they could go either way. They could move into the past with the Weasley events or they could go further into the future with them. Everything would be decided on Rita and Silas.

"I'm planning on allowing Rita to focus on the present and then include some of the past during her interviews and anything that would be relevant at the time." Silas commented.

Lucius nodded. The idea was very sensible and wouldn't overwhelm the Wizarding World too much. The simple way was the way to go for now. They could step it up when the people were ready to hear about it. However he wasn't quite sure how the Dark Lord would take all of this. He was after all very possessive of Silas.

It was pure luck that had prevented the Dark Lord from reading the Daily Prophet when it was revealed that Harry Potter was in fact Silas Malfoy. A lot of bad information had been placed within but the Dark Lord hadn't read that edition. He'd been busy elsewhere to even think about reading it. This time would be different. The Dark Lord would concentrate on every fact given to him about Silas. That would lead to him protecting Silas in any way possible including destroying the threat. Severus was already on that list. By the time Silas' past was revealed the list would be much longer.

"Very well but make sure you check every letter thoroughly before you allow her to publish. No mistakes can be made." Lucius agreed.

Silas nodded quite happily. He'd already made sure to keep their names accurate. He wasn't about to have anything childish within the article that could otherwise lead to a lawsuit. He would keep this as clean as possible like his inner Nymph liked. If anything got out of hand then he wouldn't be the one that started it.

"Now eat, we have a rather long day ahead of us." Lucius instructed.

A pout emerged on Silas' face. It was the first day of Hogwarts and Draco would be leaving them. Clouds blotted out the sun as Silas' unhappiness surfaced. He didn't want his brother to leave. Draco should remain with them like Silas would need to do. It just wasn't right for Silas to have found a new family only to have to split it up a few months later.

Draco sensing his train of thought smiled reassuringly and hugged his brother.

"It'll be alright Silas. I won't be gone forever. I'll be seeing you at Yule and we can spend all the time together then and during the next holidays. It won't be forever."

Silas gave a watery smile and nodded. He was far too emotional at times. He needed to calm down a little and just accept that Draco wouldn't be there all the time. Not everyone could surround themselves with their family so he would need to accept the fact that his brother would be leaving for an extended period of time.

"Now, let's make the most of the morning while we still can." Draco suggested.

It was with that, that they left the room and their father to his breakfast in peace.

x-x-x-x-x

"What do you mean Silas Malfoy won't be attending Hogwarts?"

Albus sighed. He'd been dreading this conversation since the moment he'd heard the news. He'd spoken with the Board and they'd denied his efforts to have Silas at Hogwarts. As far as they were concerned it was Lucius' decision what his son did in the upcoming year.

What worried him the most was they reassured Albus he would be home schooled. Silas could be learning anything during that period of time and that wasn't something that he wanted just because he was certain Silas would be taught Dark Arts at one stage. It certainly wouldn't do to have Silas raised like that. No child should have to be raised in such an environment. However that wasn't his biggest problem. No, his biggest problem currently was his rather irate Potions Master.

"I have already explained it to you Severus. Lucius has decided that Silas will be home schooled for the year. He won't be attending Hogwarts."

Severus snarled. How could they make such a decision? It wasn't for them to decide where Silas should go. That was his decision to make as his mate. Of course it didn't help that he felt as if Silas was slipping away from him even now. He had no idea why this would be but he was going to get to the bottom of it.

"Can't you demand that he needs a proper education and not something his father and step-mother can put together in an instant?" he demanded.

"No, Severus, I have already spoken with the Board and they have decided that it would be best for Silas to be home schooled. As it is, he will probably need to be out searching for his other mate most of the time he is away. Though I wish it had not come to this, Silas is living his life as best he can currently. We should accept this."

Albus hadn't wanted to accept his treatment of Silas. But upon further investigation he had begun to realize that his involvement and manipulation of Harry Potter's life had been appalling. In no way would he permit himself to fall into the same rut with Silas Malfoy. He was tired of always being wrong when assuming things. This time he would sit back and allow Silas life to be dictated by himself and his father's approval. He no longer had a say in that.

Others didn't share in his mind set. Albus knew that getting everyone within the Order to agree with him was futile. After everything that he had told them all of their hopes rested with Harry Potter now Silas. They would hound after him like there was no tomorrow. He even feared for Severus. Ever since the man had discovered his connection with Silas he'd become a man obsessed.

Severus constantly needed to know what Silas was doing. He was becoming possessive bordering on the extreme. It certainly wasn't right and Albus worried. This obsession wasn't healthy and he was worried about what would happen to Severus if this continued. Then there was the fact that the other mate might be just as possessive. Something could go horribly wrong here and since Severus seemed to be in last place, Albus knew that he would lose out.

"Severus, perhaps you should allow Silas to live his own life through his own choices." Albus persuaded. "He won't be very amicable if you pursue him in such a heinous way. Wouldn't it be better if you allowed Silas the chance to see a different side of you?"

His attempted were quite futile however. Severus didn't see it that way. All he saw was another chance for Silas to become closer to his new mate. It wasn't something he would allow to happen ever. No, he would kill the other mate before Silas had the chance to create a bond between them. Then all he would have is Severus.

"Are you asking me to allow Silas, my mate, a chance with someone else?" he hissed. "Do you think I would allow my chance at happiness to simply choose another as his partner for the remainder of my life? Would you deny me this, Albus, after everything I have sacrificed?"

Albus knew his words were meant to persuade him of Severus deep affections but the insane lit to Severus' voice wasn't really helping at all. In fact, he believed Severus and Silas would both be better off if they were kept a part from one another. Whoever was Silas' other mate couldn't be as bad as Severus currently was.

"I am merely trying to say that approaching Silas in this way will not endear him to you. Perhaps you should give a little more thought into your ideas before you approach him."

It was the only thing he could do to keep Severus away from hassling Silas for any length of time. After that and Silas would be on his own though he knew that he would be able to handle it with his new family by his side.

Thankfully, Severus calmed down. He was thinking on Albus' words greatly. The old man was correct. He was a little bit too forward in his approach. Harry Potter might have rushed into things without thinking but Silas Malfoy appeared to be the personality that never surfaced. Silas was an entirely different person and as such should be treated as a different person. He'd been going about this entirely wrong.

"Of course, Albus, I shall think on your words more."

With that he swept out of the Headmaster's office. Why hadn't he seen it before? Silas looked remarkably like his mother. He shared her colouring down to the very detail. Sure there were a few markers that belonged to Lucius but otherwise he was like an exact copy of Lily. Treating a copy of Lily like a copy of Potter wasn't going to endear Silas towards him; it would only push him away. What had he been thinking?

Lily, he needed to be thinking more along the lines of what Lily would have enjoyed. The answer was so obvious he could have hit himself if he wasn't sweeping through the empty corridors of Hogwarts. This was Lily's child and as such should have similar desires that she had. Potter, he wouldn't have had a hope of understanding but with Lily… Lily he understood rather well.

Severus smirked as he entered his quarters. With this knowledge by his side it should be so much easier to understand Silas. In no time at all he would be able to seduce Silas and then they could finally be together. No one would be able to keep them apart not even Lucius. Their lives would be perfect and nothing would keep Severus from living with that.

x-x-x-x-x

That morning was rather dreary. Silas sighed knowing that it was his fault. He just wasn't pleased that Draco would be leaving and travelling back to Hogwarts. His emotions would always be reflected by the weather. There was no changing that but he really didn't enjoy it for everyone to see. Wasn't it bad enough that his private life was public? Even his Nymph side worked against him when it came to his emotions.

Silas grumbled as the air shifted around them. He wasn't happy.

Narcissa, seeing as such, wrapped her arms around the fusing boy. It wouldn't do for Silas to act out and have his emotions strengthen. It was possible, if that occurred, that he would more than likely flood the platform making it impossible for the train to leave. No, it was better for them all for Silas to feel the love from the remainder of his family. That way he wouldn't cause such a catastrophe.

Draco was currently on the train attempting to locate his friends before the train departed. After all he didn't want to be running around the train amongst the Gryffindors. It simply wouldn't do.

That left Silas with Lucius and Narcissa. He didn't mind it though. They were family and they were comforting. Even if Draco was leaving for a time they would still be there for him to fall on when times became tough for him and as always they would, especially when he was surrounded by curious people who didn't know the meaning of privacy.

They were all openly staring at him. Most of them were Gryffindors who were questioning his sanity. Oh course, he didn't expect them to understand his decision. He didn't really expect anyone to understand why he had chosen to live with the Malfoy's when everyone knew but couldn't condemn them of being Death Eaters. Yet they would all be clamouring for a reason. They would all want to hear the story from his mouth.

Thankfully, Lucius' cold demeanour kept them away. No one wanted to get on the bad side of a known Death Eater. They wouldn't risk their families for a story.

The Weasley's on the other hand didn't have such a reserve. As soon as they entered through the portal they were searching for him. Silas whimpered and moved further behind Lucius, Narcissa still holding him. He really didn't want to have to face them again. Why did they continue to hound him in such a persistent manner anyway? He was no longer Harry Potter. In the eyes of the Order he was no longer important.

In that moment of wondering, Molly Weasley located him. Then the screeching began. It was loud and shrill and everyone nearby without the resilience to do so, cringed. Her voice was so high pitched so could almost put the Fat Lady to shame. Terrible though it was, everyone on the platform had to grin and bear it. They had no choice what with the Weasley family relation with Dumbledore. Anything bad said against them that didn't come from a Death Eater or someone with high political support would bring the entire family down and not just the one person. It was a terrible system.

"Harry, what are you doing there? You should be getting on the train it will leave in a few minutes and you'll be left behind."

Molly was rather insistent and didn't seem to realize that Silas was hiding behind his father and stepmother until she was faced with them. Only then did she seem to puff up in indignation. It appeared as if she believed that hiding Silas from her wasn't something they should be doing. Lucius however wouldn't allow this woman anywhere near his son.

"Weasley, what do you think you are doing?"

His voice was cold and cutting. A smart person would have given a meek answer, turned and ran. Molly Weasley wasn't one of these people.

"I'm attempting to get this child on the train before it leaves. You're the irresponsible one that isn't allowing that poor child to get a proper education." Molly snapped reaching for Silas.

Silas whimpered and pulled even further away from her. There was no way he would allow her to get her hands on him. He couldn't even imagine the reception of him appearing on the train and then at Hogwarts especially with Snape there. Marvolo was likely to kill Snape and everyone should that be present at the time. Sure he didn't care about those in the Order but all the other students shouldn't be placed in harm like that. They were innocent and hadn't done anything to insight the Dark Lord's anger.

"I told you at Diagon Alley that I'm not returning to Hogwarts this year. It was said rather straightforwardly as well. I'm to be home-schooled because of my situation. The Board of Governors agreed with this." Silas explained from behind his parents. "So please would you accept this and cease to hound me."

Molly snatched her hand back in shock. This was the first time Harry had ever spoken out against her before. It certainly wasn't something she believed that he was capable of. The child was usually so calm and accepting of her aid. Ron seeing his mother becoming flustered stepped forward.

"Come on mate, we should be leaving now."

"I'm not your mate. You shouldn't use that word."

Silas' Nymph hummed angrily. To him, mate had an entirely differing meaning and so he wouldn't allow anyone else to use it that way towards him. Only Marvolo would be permitted to call him mate. Anyone else doing do was simply offensive.

Ron jerked back as if stung. Silas couldn't bring himself to care. It wasn't like he was being nasty on purpose. In fact he would rather never have to deal with them again but bringing himself down to their level wasn't something he was willing to do. He wouldn't snap at them. He wouldn't cajole them. He would keep himself above them and hope that he didn't stumble and generally make an arse out of himself like they did.

"If you don't board the train it will leave without you." Lucius commented.

He honestly didn't care if they missed the train however the time it took them to board would give them ample time to get away. Catching Draco's eye through one of the windows he gave a simple nod before turning his attention back towards the Weasleys.

"You wouldn't want your precious children being left behind in their education would you?" he added.

There was a hint of snideness within his tone but they didn't appear to hear it as they all clambered towards the train. Silas waved goodbye to his brother before their father took his hand and apparated them away, Narcissa following behind them. Once they were home, the three of them relaxed significantly.

"Is there anything you want to do today, Silas?" Narcissa asked.

His lessons wouldn't start for another weeks at least. His teachers would all be Death Eaters. No one else was trusted more by the Dark Lord and everyone was more than pleased to help him. Silas wasn't entirely sure why but the Death Eaters treated him like a Prince mixed between a cat they wanted to cuddle with for hours on end. It was rather strange and confusing but accepted nonetheless considering Marvolo approved. However that didn't mean he wanted to see them in his spare time.

"I think I'd like to go and visit a few friends if that's alright."

Lucius and Narcissa had agreed that Silas could do his own thing occasionally. It wasn't against any laws however the Dark Lord would always want to know where he was and that in itself was a problem. They couldn't always keep track of every location Silas was to visit. They'd never get anything else done. As long as he returned in one piece, and at sixteen that shouldn't be too difficult, everything should be fine.

"Of course, Silas, go and see your friends."

Silas smiled and turned towards the Floo. Of course, should they have known who he was going to see it would have been likely they never would have agreed in the first place.

x-x-x-x-x

Stepping out of the Floo, Silas had to immediately duck as something flew over his head. Movement was everywhere in this store. It was brightly coloured and filled with young children looking for something exciting to play with. Of course, there were also parents attempting to keep their children away from such 'dangerous' objects. Silas couldn't help but laugh at it all. Nothing ever surprised him when he entered Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

"Silas!"

The joyous voice caught his attention. Looking up, he could see Fred and George waving ecstatically from the second floor. When they had managed to install a second floor, Silas didn't know. All he remembered about the shop came from their explanations of the location. They had mentioned nothing of a second floor.

"When did you make a second floor?" Silas enquired as he moved up the stairs.

"It's always been here." Fred informed him.

"Only those that have a part in the store can see it." George explained further.

From what he could gather, only those that had a profit in the shop could see the second floor. Silas found it rather difficult to decode their words. It was almost as bad as Luna on occasion.

"What do you use it for?"

"Mostly inventing, it's useful to keep a watch on the store while we're working." They answered.

Then they both turned stern faces towards him. Silas cringed knowing what they were upset about. Yet it wasn't entirely his fault. Everyone around him was protective. He could barely walk anywhere without being asked where he was going and who with. It was surprising that his parents had allowed him out without questioning him as such but he was rather glad for it. This trust only proved how much they believed in him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come and see you." He apologized. "However I rather doubt they would have allowed me to see you two given the harassment your family is inclined to."

Fred and George laughed themselves silly. It was entirely true. No one in their right mind would trust them with a child when their family had been acting the way they had.

"Actually that gives me an idea…" Fred murmured before walking off.

Silas blinked but turned to George for an explanation.

"He's probably off thinking of a way to discredit the family." George said smiling.

Silas couldn't quite understand why this would be alright to them but didn't complain. If they were set to discredit their own family they wouldn't mind that he was on the same track.

"So Silas my friend, what have you been up to?"

Smiling, Silas launched into an explanation. He hadn't been this relaxed in many months and to be around two carefree people was simply amazing. As such, he offered them both a lengthy explanation as to the events that had pushed him this far. George sat beside him and listened as Fred smashed away at something or another, giving comments every now and then.

"So… your mate happens to be the almighty Dark Lord…" George commented.

There was a pause but Silas knew it wasn't one of worry or concern. They had easily accepted that Silas was mated to the Dark Lord. That had certainly taken him by surprise but they seemed to support him in everything that he did. Getting away from the Order was complimented by them especially if it meant that he was as far away from Snape as possible. They approved of the Dark Lord but Snape was frowned upon. Silas believed this was because Snape worked for Dumbledore.

Nothing good could come from that.

Fred and George had also given him praise for taking a stand with Rita against them all considering the first article had been a hit. It had been posted that morning and had been rather well done. They agreed to give him inside information that would help Silas' cause. They'd even agreed to give him information they had heard whilst spying on the Order. Silas was informed that what they had was gold. He didn't deny it. The twins were rather crafty.

"So how is your relationship blossoming then?" Fred hinted.

It was rather obvious what they wanted to know but they weren't about to get much detail from him. This wasn't something that he planned on expressing for just anyone to hear. Some he would share. Others that he was sure wouldn't embarrass the Dark Lord could also be shared. Anything else would have to be left out.

"We talk," Silas started. "Mostly we talk about what we did that day or anything that is on our mind. It isn't heavy stuff and usually we don't do a lot of physical connection simply because it makes both of us slightly uncomfortable. I haven't had a connection to someone like this ever and the Dark Lord… well… that I can't explain for your own safety."

Fred and George watched as the emotions flittered across Silas face and the weather changed outside. He was happy. Silas as truly happy and if anyone deserved it more it would be him. His life when he was young had been a complete train wreck and hadn't gotten any better. This was one of the best things that had ever happened to him and they weren't about to have it ruined for him. Anyone that wanted to hurt Silas would have to go through them first.

They bother cast each other amused looks as they realized Silas had just gained two more overprotective family members. They weren't about to allow Silas to just believe that they would allow him to walk away. No, they would be there for a long time even if it meant joining the Dark Lord to keep him safe.

"It's good to see that you are happy Silas." Fred commented sitting down beside him.

"Now, come and help us cause chaos as the adoptive son of a Marauder."

x-x-x-x-x

Silas didn't return to Malfoy Manor until much later in the afternoon. He hadn't believed that he would take that long when speaking to the twins. But they had become so wrapped up in experimenting and generally having fun that the time had slipped away from him.

The first person to run across him upon return was his father. The man didn't at all look pleased that he had taken so long but was glad that he had returned in one piece.

"Where have you been today, Silas?" he questioned giving his son a hug.

Silas let out a blinding smile that explained the terrific sunny weather they had been experiencing. His son had been happy to spend time with whoever he had been to see.

"I spent the day with two people I trust with my life."

Though it was frustrating not to know who, it was nice knowing the boy had someone to rely on. Silas didn't have many friends any more so those he had he obviously treasured more than anything in the world. All Lucius could think was they had better be worth it.

"You might want to Floo the Dark Lord, he has been anxiously awaiting your return." Was all he said.

Silas nodded and ran off, Lucius watching him all the way. His son's childhood had been abysmal but now everything was beginning to look up and he couldn't have been more overjoyed at the prospect.

* * *

**I actually remembered the twins some people had thought I'd forgotten them. Thanks for the reviews and for being patient for this chapter. It was a long time coming.**

**~MidnightEmber**


	14. Chapter 14

**~ Chapter Fourteen ~**

Silas wasn't entirely certain how it happened. One moment he had been ready to speak with Marvolo through the green flames and the next he had been dragged through the floo and ended up in the man's lap. Everything had happened so fast and left Silas disorientated. Yet his mate held him tightly till he gathered his bearings and the room stopped spinning.

This room he was familiar with. It was the library, the very room that Silas had discovered that Marvolo was his mate. The thought that Marvolo bought him here was very sentimental and not something highly expected of the man. Of course at the time Marvolo hadn't known that Silas knew but all the same this room was the very beginning of everything for them. The library was where their relationship began and from there everything had just ignited into something so much more.

It was only then that Silas realized that Marvolo had brought him through the floo for physical contact. They hadn't had any physical contact since the first bond had snapped into place and Silas, not really knowing any better, had left it at that. At the time of their first bond snapping into place, Silas hadn't really thought about the needs of Marvolo. He only knew what he needed for this to work. The first bond, their kiss, was more than enough for him at the time. However Marvolo was much older than him and more than likely not use to having someone like Silas to rely on.

It was rather daunting to think on. Marvolo was many times his senior but his mate hadn't even balked at the thought. The Nymph recognized Marvolo as his mate and that was all that mattered for him. He'd never even taken the time to think on what Marvolo might want from this at all. Only his Nymph side had mattered at the time. Regardless, Marvolo had agreed to bond with Silas and hadn't even mentioned any of this. Certainly there were many topics they needed to speak on but age wasn't one of them.

"Why am I here?" Silas questioned.

Everything had happened so fast that he would have liked an explanation. Yet Marvolo offered none. The arms around him were tight but not entirely uncomfortable. He could at least still move around should he desire so that wasn't a problem. However something in Marvolo's gaze made Silas pause in questioning his mate further.

It wasn't a look that he was used to. There was a need in Marvolo's eyes that went beyond anything that Silas had ever witnessed. Sure there had been times when people had needed him but this was different. Marvolo's need was purely selfish in the fact that he didn't want Silas to do anything except sit and accept the touch he was given. Everyone else had needed him to accomplish a task they simply refused to do. But this, this was something that Marvolo was giving him and something he desperately wanted in return.

"I had an entertaining day." Silas commented lightly.

He was certain that Marvolo wasn't going to let him up any time soon nor would he speak. His mate simply wanted to be near him without the distance of the floo to keep them apart. Silas was all for it so he decided to merely speak what he had originally planned to say.

"I went to speak with the twins today, Fred and George Weasley." He began. "I needed a day to myself and they'd supported me in everything no matter how ridiculous it seemed. Everything was moving so swiftly and I couldn't wrap my head around anything. But when I arrived I calmed instantly. They have this way of dealing with me that just relaxes me regardless of what state I'm in. I also learnt so much about their store and what they were doing with the money that I gifted them. It was wonderful."

When Marvolo's arms tightened around him as he spoke, realization settled over him. His mate had obviously taken his wording incorrectly. Silas corrected his assumptions with a calm face and tone.

"I merely needed someone or something that hadn't changed from my past life to be present in my new life. They were two of the few that I could depend on for anything when I was at Hogwarts. They listened when Weasley and Granger couldn't care. I suppose in a way they always knew or realized what I needed and fought to grant it to me. At the time they were the siblings I didn't have. My life has entirely changed for the better but I need the occasional reminder of where I came from and who supported me to keep me in balance."

Silas could feel Marvolo relax once again and continued on.

"Of course in the past few years I have also gained Neville and Luna. They have both been there for me when I needed them and not because they were instructed to or believed that I needed to be watched over like a child. Of course I can't actually spend time with them anymore because they're still at Hogwarts. I might be able to visit them during a Hogsmeade weekend though if I had father or mother with me and if you agreed to it. I might even be able to visit Draco."

Silas looked hopeful however there was a glint in Marvolo's eye that led him to believe the answer at the moment was no. The more he brought the issue up however, the more likely Marvolo would eventually agree. He would just have to wait till then. Of course being that close to Hogwarts was also a risk that he would need to monitor carefully. Severus would always be there now that he was considered a Death Eater traitor. Yet Silas couldn't hide from his problems forever. That however left him with an idea.

"Actually there was a matter that I wanted to bring up with you regarding the twins. The twins have always protected me and I wanted to ask, if they accepted this as well, if they could become my guards or simply become a presence that protects me when I'm not with you. That way you, father and mother would know that I'm safe. You wouldn't have to worry as much as you do now over me."

Marvolo narrowed his eyes. What was this incessant need for the Weasley twins? Did Silas truly trust them enough to put his life back in their hands? Was there something more than Silas was telling him? So many questions, so many doubts that Marvolo really didn't need to be feeling given the situation.

"Why do you believe they would agree to this?" he finally questioned.

Silas brightened once he realized that his mate hadn't entirely disagreed with the idea. There was a chance he could get his way with this! There was a chance that he didn't have to keep his past and his present separated for the rest of his life.

"Fred and George have always wanted to protect me. I paid them back, or so I believed, with the Triwizard Winnings yet they still continue to protect me even from their family. I know I can trust them. They know what has been happening every step my life has taken and of our relationship and yet they still haven't abandoned me. They remain by my side. Fred and George are two of the few people I can trust with my secrets, with my life." Silas spoke with certainty.

Marvolo held Silas closer as he lost himself in thought. There were many concerns about this. He knew that Silas was likely speaking the truth as far as he was aware. However Marvolo wasn't as convinced. He needed to know with a degree of certainty that these Weasley's were trustworthy. He wouldn't allow them to roam around with Silas until he was certain. After all, none of the Weasley's was on his side of this war. That would involve some planning for later. For now, he needed to speak with Silas.

"We have other topics we should be discussing." He finally spoke.

Silas knew what he was speaking of. There were certain topics that had been sitting between them that really should have been discussed. His parents' murder was merely one of them. Yet he couldn't quite bring himself to speak with Marvolo about this. He may have trusted that Marvolo wouldn't lie to him but the topic was too heavy to begin with. They should have begun with something small but even that was still too much for him at the moment. Perhaps when they were a little better acquainted he could stomach that talk.

"Perhaps another time, I'm still adjusting to this and I don't want anything bad to happen and set us back."

Marvolo, hearing the hesitancy in his mate's voice, decided not to push further at this point in time. But they both knew it would have to occur soon. The topic was simply too large between them to ignore. If they did, it would remain a block in their relationship that wouldn't ever be fixed.

"Why did you pull me through?" Silas enquired again. "You were fine yesterday with merely speaking through the flames."

The arms around Silas tightened with his question.

"Merely because the physical bond is complete doesn't mean I don't want to continue being this way with one another. Certainly the emotional bond is the one to currently focus on however I would like to believe that we can still be close without needing to work on a bond. The bonds will fall in place whether we actively work towards it or not."

Silas nodded smiling. He'd reframed from more physical contact merely because he wasn't entirely certain if Marvolo would welcome it. However now that he did, Silas would always be there. He craved having a connection to his mate and now that Marvolo had said he enjoyed having Silas in his arms, he would be there more often. However it was getting rather late and he'd been taken from Malfoy Manor without any warning.

"I should leave. Father and mother likely don't know where I am and are worried if not already fretful."

Marvolo merely sneered. At the time he'd honestly thought it would be rather difficult for him to bring Silas through the floo without permission. Obviously his minion, Lucius, had set the floo to allowing any contact as long as it was from his manor. That was a flaw that anyone could utilize and he disliked it immensely.

"Then they should know that their security needs updating."

If it wasn't fixed Marvolo would definitely be having words with Lucius the next time he saw him. Such a serious lapse in security could possibly allow Severus in and Marvolo wasn't going to have that. Silas belonged with him. Giving his mate a chaste kiss, Marvolo released him and nudged him gently towards the floo.

Silas agreed to tell his parents Marvolo's words before flooing back home.

x-x-x-x-x

Being home was a relief for Silas. Certainly spending time with his mate was a plus however there was simply too much between them for him to sit at the moment and listen to Marvolo speak on the past. He certainly hadn't thought that it was the correct time to speak on tough topics that lay between them. Thankfully Marvolo had agreed otherwise they would have had their first argument as a couple and wasn't that rather daunting for most couples. A Dark Lord and a Water Nymph certainly weren't the two people you wanted to begin an argument especially if you were within hearing range.

As Silas entered his home, he realized suddenly that he had entered into the main flooing room and not his own personal room. Obviously his parents knew that he had been missing or at some point realized that he was no longer in the Manor otherwise this wouldn't have occurred at all. The Manor should have been open to him at all times. But the Lord of the Manor could redirect all floo travel during emergencies to monitor and restrict the amount of people coming in at any one time.

Silas sighed. Obviously he'd been missing for a while then. He'd just have to blame the Dark Lord on this one. Just as he was about to leave the main room, Narcissa hurried in a look of relief on her face.

"Silas, where did you disappear to? Your father and I worried." Narcissa fretted.

He'd known that a sudden disappearance would have caused them agony. After all it was only recently that they'd been reunited. It was bound to frighten them when he suddenly vanished without any trace of his whereabouts especially with Snape still out and desperately searching for him. Silas suddenly felt very guilty. At the time all he could think of was keeping Marvolo calm and pleased. Nothing else had registered. The sky outside darkened with clouds blotting out the moon.

Narcissa hardly glanced at the weather outside as the emotions flashed across Silas' face. If there was one thing about Nymphs that made them rather easy to spot it was their poor emotional control. They jumped around so swiftly that if one payed attention to the weather and not the person they would miss the most important information one could gather.

"I'm alright. Marvolo merely wanted to speak with me without the floo between us." Silas began to explain. "I'm assuming that the bond between us isn't just one way any longer. He also feels distraught when certain occurrences happen or if we should not see each other for a long time. I didn't mean to put you and father through any worry. If I'd been thinking a little more clearly perhaps it wouldn't have quite turned out like this."

The guilt that Silas felt was easy to see. Yet of course he would take everything too hard. Even now as Silas Malfoy he couldn't quite shake some of the lessons practically burnt into his skin by the Order and Dumbledore. Any failure he was told had to be by him. Narcissa felt guilty for merely pushing Silas in this direction. The poor boy had been through enough as it was…

"Silas don't be silly. This isn't your fault. You don't have a lot of information to work with. You don't understand your Nymph instincts any better than the Dark Lord understands his own. Your mother should have been teaching you this. There shouldn't have been a circumstance where you were left on your own with no one to aid you. If it were possible your father would scour the world looking for someone to teach you however Nymphs don't come out of hiding for nothing and they certainly wouldn't allow you to remain here. You are after all one of a kind."

Silas smiled. Narcissa, despite not being his birth mother, treated him exactly as her own son giving him advice and aiding him whenever she could. She really didn't have to but perhaps it had more to do in her nurturing side than anything else.

"Do you believe other Nymphs would take me away?" he questioned.

"Of that I have no doubt." Narcissa confirmed. "However since you have already begun bonding with someone I don't believe they are capable of doing that any longer. The Dark Lord simply wouldn't allow something like that to happen and neither would your father or I. They would have to wage war with the Dark Lord over you. I rather doubt they would attempt something as fool hardy as that. No, you belong with us Silas."

Smiling, Silas gave Narcissa a warm hug. There was nothing better than having family around for support. Somehow they knew exactly what to say even when you weren't certain what it is you needed to hear.

"Marvolo says that the Manor security should be improved if he can simply steal me out of the floo otherwise I won't be remaining here for long."

Narcissa smiled and agreed certain that if it wasn't done soon their Lord would punish them and take Silas away for protection. That man certainly treasured his bond with Silas to a degree that none had seen before.

"Come Silas, it is time we put your father at ease."

Laughing, they moved out of the room knowing that his father would be rather frantic until it was certain he was alright. Sometimes Lucius Malfoy could be more cautious than even the Dark Lord and that thought alone was enough to make them laugh even harder.

x-x-x-x-x

Severus scowled. He'd known that the potion would take a month to brew but he hadn't anticipated on being so impatient. It seemed like every time he went to start the potion something mind about Silas or Harry Potter wold cross his mind and he would completely zone out. The few steps he would have taken into the potion would be completely ruined. He growled, knocking over his useless cauldron. Polyjuice obviously was no longer an option with him in this state. There had to be another way to get Silas.

Sitting behind his desk, Severus frowned. Why was it that every step he attempted to take towards obtaining Silas it always fell through? Dumbledore had been useless. Not only had he been unable to force Silas to return to Hogwarts but he hadn't been able to even speak with the boy. As a respected man he should have been able to easily get acceptance to see the child even for a moment. The old man had given up. There hadn't been any verbal confirmation of this but Severus knew that Dumbledore would no longer interfere with Silas Malfoy even to aid him.

Not that it mattered. The Order all held his belief. Dumbledore was outvoted there. They wanted Silas on their side and the only way to do that currently would be to allow Severus to court him. It was perfect. The fact that it gave Severus what he desired also held its own appeal.

He even had it all planned to the last detail; nothing would ruin the time he planned to spend with Silas Malfoy alone. After all what Lily would enjoy Silas would theoretically also enjoy since they were so similar. If not, Severus was certain that he would be able to please his little mate in… other ways. All he needed to know was where Silas would turn up next.

From sources, he'd heard that Silas had spent the day in Diagon Alley with the Weasley Twins. But that wasn't useable information. The Weasley Twins didn't agree with his family. They believed that whatever made Silas happy was perfect for him. They didn't see any other way around it; either that or they simply didn't care. If he did act, knowing the Weasley Twins were present with Silas, he wouldn't get within twenty metres of his mate. No, that definitely wouldn't do.

His only chance would be Hogsmeade and he wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. Rumours held around Hogwarts led him to believe Silas would come to visit with friends that still attended. Knowing Silas, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood were the only two people he would want to see from his past life. Granger and Weasley had obviously been pushed away with the remainder of the Weasleys so he wouldn't need them.

With this in mind Severu sat back. There was only so much he could plan before that time came. He would be prepared and he would have Silas by his side by the end of it. Silas would have no choice but to forget his other mate and accept him completely. This time he would come out on top.

x-x-x-x-x

He probably should have thought his plan through before acting upon it. Considering the people, he really should have planned each detail out thoroughly before acting but he'd been concerned about their influence and intentions when it concerned Silas. He should have known better, should have realized that this was bound to happen. He had kidnapped the Weasley Twins.

Marvolo sighed. It really wasn't his best plan to date.

Everything had gone wrong. The group he had sent to apprehend the pair had returned covered in purple slime that appeared to stick like glue. Some had trouble standing up straight as it oozed from their clothes and caused them to freeze to the floor. If they ceased moving entirely they couldn't move from that spot at all. They weren't about to move in any hurry so Marvolo had enlisted the help of another group hoping this one would be able to get past whatever had ensnared the first group.

They also failed. By then it was obvious that sending in teams wouldn't help to outsmart the Weasley twins. They were smart, smarter than the Dark Lord gave them credit… until now.

Silas had attempted to explain that the twins were trustworthy and that they often protected him. Marvolo merely believed at the time that the Weasleys had just protected Silas from other students. With this evidence he doubted that was all that they did. He had a belief that they protected Silas from everyone that looked at him in a negative or predatory way. He probably should have paid closer attention when Silas was speaking instead of listening to his jealousy.

In the end Marvolo had sent them a portkey and a vague letter which they activated and now they were before him. But it wasn't exactly how he'd expected them to react. They were calm.

For five minutes they did nothing but stare him down and it was a little unsettling their identical stares making it rather difficult for him to enforce his rule and power. They had the upper hand solely with having each other. Even if he called Silas to even out the numbers, Silas would more than likely ignore anything he said anyway. He trusted these two more than anything at the moment.

"Why were you so desperate to get us here?" they broke the silence together.

Marvolo wasn't proud but he flinched. Good Merlin, they even spoke at the same time, he bemoaned. It didn't help that they weren't terrified of being before him. Of course that probably had to do with the topic they were about to discuss…

"Silas…" It was the only word that they truly needed after all. It was the only one that mattered.

Fred and George traded unreadable glances. Of course this was about Silas. When was it not? Their entire family spoke about Silas constantly. It was one of few reasons (though the most important) they had chosen to live above their shop. They no longer desired to listen to plots against Silas. Those that had solid ideas were unmentionable. The Order who planned to initiate some of these ideas truly had no sense of moral.

"Why, oh glorious Dark One, would you want to speak to us about Silas?" Fred questioned.

George checked to make certain they were alone. It wouldn't do to get into an argument with the Dark Lord while other people were around that would be likely to retaliate. Having two against one was simple but two against a dozen weren't odds they were likely to win especially if these people were from the Inner Circle. They really knew how to punish people and no matter how connected to Silas they were, they weren't going to risk it.

"You need not worry," Marvolo reassured, "there aren't any Death Eaters around at present. This situation isn't something I want to get out of hand and I do believe that you would give some of my followers quite a difficult time."

Fred and George snickered. Those idiots had practically asked for it. If they couldn't get past simply pranks then they didn't deserve to get away with kidnapping them. The purple goo had been tripped as they'd walked from Knockturn Alley with evil intent. Then the second group had fallen prey to the jokes inside their shop as they'd gone around Knockturn and simply through Diagon. A nasty bout of vibrant pink hair was what they received. Every joke was harmless but enough to make the Death Eaters rethink moving forward.

"Regardless, this matter is about Silas and I don't believe that they should be a part of it. Silas is my mate and I shall look out for him when he is in my presence. In that, I need no help."

The twins knew from Silas that the Dark Lord was going to be honourable. What they didn't really understand is what that had to do with anything that occurred between them. They were only friends and they protected Silas whenever possible. What that had to do with this they weren't certain.

"What is it that you want then?"

Marvolo sat back against his throne, "Silas informs me that you have been protecting him since he entered Hogwarts. I wanted to know why."

Fred and George shared another glance. This conversation could go either way depending on the Dark Lord's mood. However if it was for Silas' sake then they would do anything.

"The first time we met Harry he was attempting to get onto the Platform from the muggle world. Every year past we had taken the floo but that year… that year was the year Harry Potter was meant to be starting as well." Fred started.

"Dumbledore had been to visit Mum the night before." George continued. "We'd seen the Headmaster on occasion because we were the pranksters of Hogwarts and constantly in trouble but never had he visited our home before. We couldn't help ourselves in that situation and eavesdropped on the conversation. It was about Harry. That night, they organized everything."

Marvolo couldn't' quite believe what he was hearing. He'd never imagined that Dumbledore would go that far just to keep Harry in line. He'd believed that the old fool would want Harry to make these decisions on his own. Not like this, it shouldn't have been like this at all. Silas should have had a different childhood a better childhood. Of course it didn't help that Silas had yet to speak with him about any of this. There were many things that Silas hadn't spoken to him about. That would need to change.

"Ron was to be Harry's friend. Ginny would be a love interest later. They would meet outside the muggle entrance to the Platform because Hagrid had conveniently forgotten to tell him where to go. Honestly it made us sick to think that anyone would take advantage of an eleven year old even if he was the famous Harry Potter so we started plotting our own way."

"For obvious reasons we couldn't make it seem we were keeping people away from him especially people from our own family. We let them have their way but when other people began to follow Harry at school they would have unfortunate accidents. That's the reason he doesn't have such a large following. We only allowed people who were true to his friendship to speak with him. Neville and Luna are the only others that we permitted to aid for any amount of time. Even we only spoke to him when no one else was around."

Fred paused and nodded towards George to continue once again.

"Then it was discovered he was actually Silas Malfoy and everything changed. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all went into overdrive. They wanted everything he owned especially since he was now a Malfoy and held claims to the Black and Potter lines. It was a disaster. They wanted so much and when Silas discovered that… well you know they aren't friends any longer. Yet Neville and Luna have remained true like we originally thought."

Marvolo sighed. "You have successfully protected him from a great many people then."

Fred and George could only nod. That was exactly what they did. Now that he was Silas they could protect him from Dumbleore and their family as well not to mention the numerous people within the Order who were after him as well. Nothing could easily stand in their way especially know that they were independent of their parents.

"Will you continue to do so?"

That was the question they had been waiting for. Together they grinned at the Dark Lord.

"Did you really believe-"

"That we would risk our lives for-"

"Our dear Silas Malfoy-"

"And not continue to do so when given the chance?"

Marvolo groaned. They were giving him a headache. He hoped that even though he was allowing them to remain by Silas' side that he wouldn't be spending too much more time in their presence. After all there was only so much one could take.

"Will you do so even when he isn't near your store or in Diagon Alley?" Marvolo pushed.

Fred nearly scoffed at the question until he realized Marvolo was being serious, thorough but serious nonetheless. So he let George answer instead.

"If he asks for us to accompany him or you ask us to accompany him then we will do so."

That answer in itself was a relief for Marvolo. Now that Draco had returned to Hogwarts Silas didn't have anyone close to him that would protect him when he left Malfoy Manor. Certainly if he was visiting a venue with his parents it wouldn't be necessary. However Silas travelling alone wasn't something that he would permit until Severus Snape was taken care of.

"Will you join me?" It was a longshot question and he knew that the likely answer would be…

"We will stand by Silas and in doing so you but we won't take your mark."

Well it had been worth a try. At least he knew where they stood and that was something he could live with easily. The Weasley Twins wouldn't stand against him and that was definitely something to celebrate at least for his minions who had suffered their wrath. There was also the knowledge that Silas would be safe no matter where he travelled. Someone would always be with him.

"I will inform my mate then of this decision. Silas will be pleased knowing that his judgement was accurate."

Fred and George nodded before smirking at the Dark Lord. They couldn't pass up on this opportunity.

"I guess that is our time up in the present of the fearsome Dark Lord George."

"I believe you are right Fred we should take our leave before he questions us ferociously with a feather."

Passing the Dark Lord a giddy expression they apparrated away without any injury leaving silence in their wake. Marvolo was already regretting his decision.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the new chapter.**

**~MidnightEmber**


	15. Chapter 15

**~ Chapter Fifteen ~**

Silas couldn't believe his luck. One second he had all the blessings in the world. His family had come together and he'd even found his mate pushing the bond along further. Everything was looking like only positive outcomes were to head his way. The next moment he would be struck down with the worst news he could possibly imagine. In his life it had been a never ending cycle and remained true even in his life with the Malfoys.

The good news that morning had come in the form of a letter mainly because his parents still didn't know he continued to keep contact with the Weasley twins. Marvolo had permitted the twins to watch over him without taking the Dark Mark. His mate was truly looking out for him in every way possible. He was certain that Marvolo had initially desired to mark them however the twins proved they were more than capable of working without it. Fred and George had been accepted by Marvolo and that was one step closer to uniting his past and current self, melding them so only Silas remained. The next step was to inform his parents.

Silas knew he should have informed them first but honestly he was far more concerned about the bad news that had been delivered. His brother was being stalked by his other mate. It was Draco's sixth year at Hogwarts and the Defence Professor was Severus Snape. The man was relentless not only in teaching but also attempting to speak with Draco. Certainly he had every right to do so as the Head of Slytherin however this was pushing the point. Snape stopped Draco at every turn to question him about numerous on goings at the Manor.

He hadn't outright mentioned it yet but everything was pointing towards Silas and his desire to see him. No one in their family was quite pleased about that when Draco sent a letter home the very first week explaining everything. So Silas made certain to inform his parents of Marvolo's decision and his continued friendship at a more appropriate time.

Of course this didn't alleviate the concerns Lucius and Narcissa were plagued with. They had every right to be concerned given the lengths in which Snape had attempted to get to Silas the first time. The very person they were attempting to keep away from one son had decided to latch on to the other. It certainly wasn't the best of positions to be in for any of them and it only added strain onto the family.

"Lucius, we can't leave him there!" Narcissa cried.

They were in the lounge room, Lucius pacing away while Narcissa stood wringing her hands. Only Silas sat calmly. Nye lay curled in his lap preening under the attention Silas was showering him in. Yet the worry was still there buried, revealed only by the darkening sky outside.

"The earliest we can possibly remove Draco from Hogwarts is Yule, Cissa. Even the Board won't listen to me should I attempt anything sooner. Draco will have to make do with what he has." Lucius responded.

No one was pleased about this, the clouds outside rumbled in discontent.

"Lucius…" Narcissa whispered.

Silas couldn't help but feel for his parents. They'd just managed to push Snape out of their lives at the Manor and yet he was still there. In the back of their minds he was still playing with them. It seemed that as long as he was alive the Malfoy family wouldn't be able to find peace.

"Would the Dark Lord be able to help us in this situation?" Silas questioned.

Lucius frowned but didn't reply. Honestly he didn't know how to answer his son's question. They may have been in the Dark Lord's favour recently but that didn't generally mean the man would come to their aid in such a matter. Certainly he would drop anything for Silas but Lucius couldn't quite say that same manner would apply to the entire family. The Dark Lord would only do so in order to keep Silas happy yet that didn't appeal to him either. Narcissa gripped his arm.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask though, right?" Silas continued. "If I were to ask him for help he wouldn't deny me."

Lucius' frowned remained. It certainly would be a last resort if nothing else came about.

"I don't want you to push your relationship with the Dark Lord further if he isn't prepared for it. If he is unwilling to aid us he might not be as open to your relationship as you need. I think it matters little who the request comes from at the moment." Lucius finally spoke.

"What If I knew the words to the prophecy, would that make a difference?" Silas jumped in.

Lucius choked whilst Narcissa ran to wrap her arms around the teen.

"We don't desire to place you in harm's way to save another Silas." She reassured him. "I don't want you to give the Dark Lord something that might affect everything you have come to love. We don't want you to mention anything of the such."

The fact that Silas still thought so little of himself spoke wonders for the emotional abuse piled on him in the care of the Light. Lucius would love nothing more than to destroy everyone with ties to Silas' terrible behavioural patterns yet he was somewhat fond of his Aunt. Regardless of what he thought of her, the fact Silas cared meant she and her family were off limits. The Order of the Phoenix on the other hand weren't as lucky. Lucius would destroy them.

"But would it-"

"Silas we aren't using you in such a way. There will be other avenues to peruse." Lucius affirmed.

His son frowned.

"But you just said there was little we could do to help him for now. What else is there to try?"

Lucius chuckled and sat down beside Silas an arm wrapping around his shoulders.

"Yes, I said there was little we could do. I didn't however say there was nothing we could do."

Silas blinked, uncertain as to what his father was hinting at. Nye yipped noticing his attention was elsewhere. Returning to his petting, Silas turned towards his father with a frown.

"What is that we're going to do then?" he questioned.

A smirk appeared on Lucius' face. Silas knew this face, though on another. This was a face for mischief. Fred and George often wore this face whilst they were preparing a prank. He'd even noted it on Sirius' face on a number of occasions when he thought no one was watching. Hope soared as his father replied.

"Severus will soon find it is unwise to antagonize anyone from the Malfoy family."

A smirk crossed Silas' face. Malfoy's and revenge, this would be interesting to witness.

x-x-x-x-x

Marvolo couldn't help but frown as he watched the clouds tumble around the sky. Anything weather related concerned him. Silas after all wasn't well known for his control of emotion. Whatever was occurring with his little Nymph certainly had taken its toll on the youngest Malfoy. However Marvolo couldn't do anything whilst sitting here and yet he couldn't leave yet either. No, he needed to speak with Fenrir Greyback before he could go to see Silas.

This meeting was one of high importance. He couldn't move forward without the support of the werewolves. Certainly having other creatures on his side would be a boon but the werewolves were a clinching factor. If he had them it didn't matter if the others decided to remain neutral. They were a power house all on their own. With one of the largest groups of creatures on his side he would have everything he needed. Then Dumbledore would have no place to cower.

"My Lord, Greyback is here."

Marvolo dismissed his minion and waited hands clasped for the wolf to arrive. He needed this to go well and having cowering followers around just couldn't grant the same atmosphere. Certainly it proved he held quite an amount of power but it didn't preset the right front.

"Dark Lord," Fenrir greeted as he entered the Dining Room.

Returning the greeting in a similar manner, Marvolo indicated Fenrir could be seated wherever he desired. This room wasn't meant to hold large meetings however for the two of them it was enough. Privacy would be maintained.

"It would seem past time to hold a discussion concerning mates and their necessity within this arrangement." Marvolo opened.

Marvolo was no fool. Before discovering his own mate, he had believed the wolves didn't really need to have any protection when discovering their mate. He'd merely believed they would be capable of handling everything alone or at least within their own packs. He'd been wrong however especially as he'd watched Silas. It had taken his family rallying behind Silas before he could escape from his own handlers. If anything it would be more difficult for that of a werewolf to gain their mates should they have reluctant relations. The laws needed working.

"It's about time this discussion took place. I've been waiting for you to make time for it."

It was a direct slur. If the Dark Lord didn't believe something was of importance it wouldn't be discussed. Usually he kept all creature related matters to attend to last. He'd realized however that prioritizing in such a manner wasn't doing him any good. He let the slur slide.

"Mates are quite important to werewolves are they not?" he asked.

Fenrir snarled. "If you say anything otherwise you'll have to call a few of your Death Eaters to deal with a corpse."

Marvolo sneered. Both knew it would be Fenrir leaving as a corpse. Not that it did either any good. Both needed this agreement to go well as without each other they would fall to the Light's leanings for muggle safety. It was purely unacceptable.

"What is that you need from me regarding these mates?"

Jumping straight to the point diplomatically appeared to be the easiest place to start. Having two dominant people within one room didn't create a very peaceful meeting especially if it ran for any length of time.

"We want what all creatures want for their mates." Fenrir huffed. "We want to be able to have them believe when the dominants say we'll protect them. We want submissives to be believed when they offer nothing but security. But most importantly we don't want to be rejected when we do find that one person who only helps to complete us."

Hearing this spoken from Fenrir gave Marvolo thought. Certainly Silas had spoken vaguely at the beginning what he wanted from Marvolo but to find this was true for many other species as well only made him sympathetic to their cause. He at least now understood where the creatures were coming from better. Having Silas by his side only seemed to improve his standing.

Glancing outside, the sky had only continued to darken since breakfast. The sky swirled in discontent making Marvolo frown. What was happening with Silas?

"What you can do," the wolf continued, "is help pass legislation within the Ministry explaining and aiding us in this quest to secure peacefully mates for any creature."

"I only have a very limited amount of control on the Ministry."

This wasn't entirely true. He had quite a grasp on the Ministry but he couldn't move yet. There wasn't enough information or support to move freely and change so many problems within their world. Dumbledore needed to be removed from the picture before anything could be changed for good.

"Once Dumbledore is out of the way, I will have a firmer grasp on the Ministry and will be able to bring these changes forward. Until then I will aid you in any way possible."

Fenrir frowned. Marvolo knew he was being rather easy to accept this. In the past he'd pushed these issues aside but he wouldn't any longer. This wasn't just something that he could do any longer. Silas when he found out about this meeting would want a positive response especially to this situation. Outside, the sky rumbled.

"You seem in a hurry Dark Lord."

The question was rather loaded with many things unsaid. Fenrir had a rather unappealing grin spread across his face. Stiffening, Marvolo chose to reply as honestly as possible.

"My mate is waiting for me."

The wolf scoffed, disbelief pouring off him in waves.

"Mate? I didn't realize Dark Lord's had mates."

"Truly, I belong to him."

This seemed to give the werewolf pause. Greyback knew the Dark Lord had no creature blood flowing through his veins. Yet it was the way he had spoken that had caught his attention. Having said Silas didn't belong to him even though he was obviously the dominant meant Marvolo had respect for his mate not many non-creature dominants possessed.

"What creature is your little mate then?" Fenrir questioned in the silence.

"He is a Nymph… a Water Nymph to be precise."

The atmosphere changed. Marvolo tensed, waiting for the wolf to attack and yet he merely continued to sit before him. Mentioning Water Nymphs appeared to have a rather strange effect on the other creature. Greyback's face was stony yet contemplative as he spoke.

"Many will side with you if this was known amongst the creatures."

Marvolo nodded. Of this he already knew. Water Nymphs were creatures rare enough to be considered great in even the most reclusive of circles. Most Nymphs were kept secreted away because they sold for quite a substantial amount on the black market.

"Why haven't you spoken this to those you wish to court to your side?" the wolf enquired.

"It is not what my mate desires as of yet."

Greyback easily accepted this replying, "Then I shall respect their wishes for now."

"See that you do."

The darkness spread into the room the only warning the wolf would receive. Should he go behind the Dark Lord's back and spread this news before Silas was ready then he would end up dead for all to see.

"If that is all Dark Lord then I have to return to my pack."

Marvolo waved him off. He desperately desired to see Silas.

x-x-x-x-x

Severus was not a man to say he was easily beaten. Any Slytherin always had the determination to achieve their hearts desire. It was one of the sole reasons many were sorted into Slytherin house to begin with. Obtaining Silas however was proving to be his greatest challenge yet and one he couldn't quite achieve.

The Malfoy's had tightened ranks. Silas had never made it Hogwarts instead starting to be tutored at home. While this displeased him there were ways around it. He might not be able to get to Silas but he did have a better chance of getting to Draco. The elder Malfoy still attended Hogwarts and even better belonged in his house and in his Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Seeing Draco wasn't a problem. Getting him to speak about his family on the other hand was.

The brat refused to speak about anyone in his family citing reasons perfectly valid by Hogwarts rules. Home life was only ever interfered with if a teacher suspected abuse. No one could say Draco Malfoy was being abused so he had no ground to push further. However he had seen Malfoy send away a letter to home and it concerned him greatly. Lucius would soon get involved and he would be out of his league. Playing Slytherin games with someone more experienced than he wasn't a way to gain victory.

"Severus, are you paying attention?"

The ex-spy snapped to attention as the surrounding Order members all frowned in disproval. He sneered at them. Of course he wasn't paying attention. Every single Order meeting so far had been about Silas. Yet no new information had been presented. All they did every week they met was rehash old information as if it would get them anywhere.

"Of course, Headmaster, however unlike some of these imbeciles I do not need to continue whining about how I'm unable to reach Silas by owl. Malfoy Manor is known quite well to have difficult wards to bypass. Mail from the Weasley family, a family of well-known blood traitors would never penetrate a pureblood manor." Severus explained as if speaking to a child.

"In the same manner, I doubt any mail from anyone within the Order will reach Silas. Lucius is rather protective of his children. Should anyone attempt to make them feel uncomfortable in any setting he will lash out as any typical Slytherin. Subtly will come first, within the words of a warning, after that it will increase to threats until slowly he pins you down with a false move and you can't do anything but comply. He will utilize his power to keep his family from harm."

Worry crept through his tone. Severus knew this was soon to be his own fate. Pushing Draco certainly hadn't endeared the Malfoy's to him. They'd already managed to destroy his job as a spy. He'd be on the Dark Lord's death list and he wouldn't be gifted a swift painless death either.

In fact he was willing to believe no one in the Order would be gifted with such knowing as they did of Silas nature. It mattered little who Silas held as a mate. The fact they knew and could identify or speak Silas creature status to the wrong person would be the death of them. Their only hope was having Severus gain the upper hand on this other mate. With them out of the way, they would win; they would be alive to see the remainder of their lives. That was what mattered. Yet uncertainty mounted.

Standing, Severus excused himself and swept from the silent room. Not many people wanted to speak after that wonderful news. No one had thought of that before, and bringing it up now certainly didn't liven their spirits.

Apparating brought him to Hogwarts where he walked the remainder of the way to his quarters. He wouldn't attempt to speak with Draco. Perhaps tomorrow he would try another method, a method perhaps that didn't rely on Draco at all. But until then he needed time to think, he needed time to plan and act like a true Slytherin once again since he wasn't doing such an excellent job currently and everyone could see it.

He didn't stop moving until he spotted the letter sitting harmlessly on his coffee table amongst other mail. The insignia was that of the Malfoy family and he cringed. He hadn't moved swift enough. Defeat stared at him in the form of a letter and all it entailed. With a sigh he sat down and opened the letter with a grim face.

-x-

Severus Snape, it has come to my attention recently you are singling out my eldest son. Whilst I may not be able to remove my son from Hogwarts curriculum as yet, I am still able to send my concerns to the Board of Governors about you and your relationships regarding students.

Lucius Malfoy

-x-

Severus paled. That hit hard. Certainly what Lucius was threatening wasn't accurate however Slytherins had a way of sneaking the truth amongst lies and making it work. The wording might have been to do with his atrociously acidic behaviour towards students but others would read differently. The word relationships only brought up topics of romance for many people and for a professor, that wasn't permitted. The Board of Governors would have no choice but to remove him should he continue pursuing Silas or with his acidic mannerisms.

The letter fell to the floor. Feeling defeated, Severus closed his eyes and leant back into his arm chair. Nothing was going as planned. Everything was moving forward yet not as he desired. He couldn't even begin to understand where it all went wrong. What was he going to do?

If, as he desperately desired, he pursued Silas, Lucius would act on his threat. Even if he attempted to fix the bond between him and Draco, Lucius would still act. Any move made towards any Malfoy at this time would simply be a waste. He'd end up in Azkaban again and this time it would remain that way. Dumbledore would have no reason to save his life as his usefulness as a spy was gone. The Dark Lord wouldn't break him out because he'd enjoy watching Severus suffer for his betrayal. No Azkaban was where he would remain.

He couldn't do it.

The threat of Azkaban looming overhead wasn't worth risking his life for. Having Silas for a mate would have been perfect however he would have to do unmentionable things before he could claim his mate, things in which he couldn't even begin to think about. Severus didn't want to fall into that dark abyss where everything in his life was skewered by past deeds. The Dark Lord and those deemed dark could work with balancing that emotional wreck, he could not.

His only choice was to give up pursuing Silas. True happiness might never be granted to him but he would be content and away from Azkaban's frigid walls. In itself, that was a major motivator.

Yet he had promised to protect Lily's child at all cost. Silas was still Lily's child and he was still in danger with Dumbledore searching for him. The Order wouldn't be able to see the necessity of allowing Silas to live his life. They could only see a Dark Lord and what he was capable of doing and Harry Potter their saviour. Even though the prophecy no longer fit the boy they believed in it rather foolhardily.

Severus sighed. His next decision wasn't going to be easy. He needed to pick a side. He needed to just stick with what he desired. Silas had chosen and now, so did he. Either way, he couldn't remain here.

He'd been teaching with a negative attitude for such a long time he couldn't even begin to understand where a good professor should begin. All he wanted was his potions. Perhaps that was where he could begin… A small determined smile cracked on Severus' lips. He knew what he needed to do.

x-x-x-x-x

Silas was edgy. Clouds overhead rumbled in discontent, swirling around in overly odd formations. Lucius and Narcissa had reassured him everything would be okay. They had told him the letter they sent off would deter Snape from making any more moves. Yet in the back of his mind something still concerned him and he couldn't figure out what.

Severus Snape wasn't a person who would give up easily and yet Silas wasn't really a person who could say he knew the man. Perhaps his ex-potions professor would give in to the subtle threats Lucius had revealed. Perhaps it would warn Snape away from their family for quite some time and yet there was a niggling feeling in the back of his mind telling him Snape wouldn't be out of their lives for very long.

Silas sighed. Even if his feeling should be proven accurate, it meant his trust in his family wasn't as strong as he'd hoped. Their word even after everything they had done for him wasn't enough to settle his concerns. Eventually, Silas knew, he would settle down with this idea of family but obviously today wasn't the day.

By the edge of the wards, Silas couldn't see the manor which housed the Malfoy family. It was something of a relief. The constant worry hanging in the air was enough to stifle even the most outgoing of people. At least outside he was able to breathe fresh air and take in the nature surrounding him. Though he loved them dearly, family as he'd discovered could be overbearing during times of great stress.

Tall willows cascaded around him, billowing in the breeze. Though the clouds remained strong occasionally they parted so sunshine could fall through the curtains and warm Silas' skin. The peace this simple act caused was enough to grant Silas some time to think without the threat of interruption. It was bliss until a rustling caused him to start.

Shooting up from his seated position, Silas sated out behind the wards. No one should be able to enter the wards without his father's permission and yet that wouldn't necessarily stop certain curses from entering. After all one couldn't protect from every curse imaginable. Perhaps sitting here hadn't been the smartest of ideas…

Just as he was about to turn and run a shadow emerged from the scrub without a wand.

"Snape?" Silas spoke incredulously.

The man was the last person Silas expected to see here after the last encounter. Yet he didn't come across as threatening. Instead he had several leaves stuck in his hair along with numerous cuts and scratches from the brush. If anything the man appeared hurried like he'd run from a terrible attack. Frozen, Silas could only watch as Snape neared the wards yet didn't cross them.

"Silas, I would like for you to listen to me."

Silas frowned. Certainly that wasn't the best words to use as Snape hadn't truly appealed to him in any way. Yet the words didn't come across as demanding. Instead they came across as a plea.

"What do you want?" Silas questioned.

Haunted eyes pierced through him, causing Silas to stumble back against the tree he'd been leaning against.

"I want another chance… just another chance…"

* * *

**This chapter is shorter than what I usually write which actually disappoints me as well as you. There might be a ton of spelling and grammar mistakes and for that I apologize Uniwork seems to be kicking my butt. Not much action or Marvolo/Silas either but things will be picking up shortly. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.**

**~MidnightEmber**


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